Where Would You Go
by AdamineTerra
Summary: If you could go anywhere in this world or another, where would you go? It's funny how that question used to seem so innocent to me. My usual response would be to say the world of Fairy Tail. I'm not so certain now. Why? Well, when you fall through a portal in your living room to enter an alternate universe, your perspective on things tends to change. And, not always for the better.
1. Tumble

Prologue

"If you could go anywhere in this world or another, where would you go?" That was the question that went around the townhouse living room. It was also the one that got me to look up from my most recently purchased manga.

As I watched the members of our Girl's Night In go about their answers, I heard the standard issue responses. France, Italy, Japan, and England were the most popular, but there were a couple off the wall ones. Like, my closest friend said the world of _True Blood_ and another girl snickered the show _Supernatural_. When the question finally rolled over to me, the answer felt completely simple. With a sly grin crossing my face, I held up my favorite manga. "Fairy Tail," I answered simply.

"Ugh!" our ringleader, a sorority girl named Kelsey moaned. Soon enough, she tossed a volley of popcorn my way—a volley wherein I happily nabbed a couple cheddar cheese dusted bites in my mouth. "You're so lame, Ne-Ne. If you didn't act so normal, I would call you an otaku, and I don't even know what that really means."

"Anime obsessed dweeb," Rylan teased, leaning her head back against my knees. She was on the floor around the Ouija Board she'd brought, and I was on the couch with my legs stretched across the vast length of it. Her hand came up to nab my manga from my light grasp, and she popped it open at the spot marked with a Fairy Tail guild bookmark. "If this wasn't one of my favorites, I would so make fun of you. It's still not half as good as _Ao No Exorcist_."

"Rin is a great main, but I still like Fairy Tail," I admit, waiting for someone to ask me who my favorite main character was. If there was something I liked to do with my comrade-in-arms Rylan it was egging her into asking me questions. I had set her up for so many lines that she was wary before she ever asked me anything. Why? Because she knew that I never lied.

"Really?" the newest member of our troupe wondered. Marina was a freshman, straight from the womb high school student. The biggest reason that she'd come to our group was because Rylan and I had taken pity on the frightened dove. Deciding to take a member of our comic book history class under our wing, we had all discovered just what a complete dork the quiet, glasses wearing freshman was. "My favorite character in Fairy Tail would have to be Rogue. He's quiet and smart. Who is yours?"

As true to my habits as I was, I clucked the the side of my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "I'm not really sure. Right now, I would have to say that I'm torn between the Dragon Slayer Laxus and the bookworm Levy McGarden," I admitted, nabbing my manga back from Rylan.

"Yeah, Neomi here never goes for a main character. She always falls for the background actors. I, on the other hand, am a big fan of Bickslow and Erza. Omi and I write fan fiction together for the inter webs," Rylan explained.

"Why can't you guys just stick to the American stuff? Stan Lee is amazing. He's better than a bunch of schoolgirl panty shots and tentacles. Besides, Marvel is the best out there," Kelsey complained from across the Ouija Board. Ah, yes. Our dear Kelsey was the purist of the comic book world. If it wasn't Stan Lee, it just wasn't to be. Though she was a huge charity nut and sorority girl, Kelsey had a comic book collection like no dork could believe. One section of her wall in the sorority house was dedicated strictly to Marvel Comics, and she was still on the hunt to finish her collection. She was also a frequenter of Comic Con. As of currently, her body was encased in Spider Man pajamas.

As a matter of fact, tonight's Girls Night In theme was comics. Kelsey was doing her best Spider Man impression via men's boxers and a Spider Man t-shirt. I was pulling Cat Woman with a pair of furry ears, black leggings, and a black tank top. Rylan had gone all out Blue Exorcist style with the black blazer, white button up, and a stuffed Kuro sitting in her lap. Marina had done Captain Mexico instead of Captain America. She had the shield done up the colors of the Mexican flag, and she was wearing a large sombrero atop her wavy head of hair. But, it had to be the sunglasses with a mustache hanging just below her nose that topped the whole thing off.

Currently, Rylan was decorating the tan girl's hat with tortilla chips while complaining, "Anime and manga isn't just about schoolgirls and tentacles. You've never even given it a shot. After we summon the ghost that's been haunting the sorority house, we're going to force you to watch some. Attack on Titan doesn't have a single tentacle in it last time I checked."

Grinning to myself, I placed my manga in front of the Ouija Board. "Why don't we pull a Seith Mage trick and see if we can summon the Ghost of Fairy Tail?"

Marina pulled a tortilla off the wide brim of her sombrero. Dipping it into some salsa, she agrees, "It would be pretty hilarious if Mavis did pop out of the board to take us into that universe."

"If I was going to be sucked into any universe, I would want Thor to come take me to Asgard," Kelsey snickered. After a short moment of thought, she adds, "But, I thought we were going to see what has been keeping Ne-Ne up in the middle of the night?"

Ah, yes, the disturbing shadows that liked to creep around my room every night. They were the reason that Rylan had purchased the infamous Ouija board in the first place. They were also the reason that superstition buffs Rylan and Marina had refused to let me spend Spring Break alone in the townhouse. They hadn't even left when pictures had started falling off the walls the first night they'd come over… Even though that one had been a prank to lighten the serious mood they'd brought with them.

Rylan picked up the Ouija Board. "We'll do that, too, but tonight is her night. She chooses the activities. Also, I paid twenty bucks just to get this thing in pink like you asked. We're going to get the goodie out of this guy since I wasted a perfect twenty dollars that could have gone to gas in my car." Placing the board back down, she sat the planchette dead center of the hot pink board. "Okay, all hands on deck!" she shouted out.

Dramatically, I rolled from the couch and to the floor. My body became an avalanche as I rolled flat on top of Rylan and Marina's backs. "Alas, I have fallen and cannot get up. Someone call Life Alert!" I groan over the grunts beneath me.

"I'm going to give your life an alert if you don't get your fat ass off me," Rylan grunted when my hand smeared popcorn butter all down her face. With a growl and heave, my body made a powerful _thud_ atop the thin floor of the second story of the townhouse.

"Alright. Alright. I'm moving. I'm moving," I complain. Once settled on my haunches, I wriggle my fingers in the air. "Does anyone have a moist towelette?"

"Coming right up," Marina proclaimed then tossed me a box of baby wipes kept specifically for sticky and greasy candy and popcorn fingers. No one liked a greasy XBox or PS4 controller. Not in this sorority house.

Snagging the moist towelette in between slimy fingers, I easily cleaned up before placing my hands down on the heart shaped piece of plastic. I watched as four fresh manicures glittered atop the pink plastic. I had painted mine black with white tips. Kelsey's were the same reddish pink of the Ouija Board. Rylan had a green so bright that it made neon look second rate. Marina's hands were a deep blue to match the University of Memphis—her cheerleader habits could not be contained.

"So, how do we start?" I asked, tilting my head like a confused dog. Cat ears went askew on my head, but Marina adjusted them with her sombrero.

"Well, it says that there are four roles," Kelsey explained with her eyes checking out a set of instructions laid beside the board. "There's the Leader, Documenter, Energizers, and Screamer."

"Looks like we already know who the Screamer is going to be," Rylan snickers, nodding her head towards the blonde sorority girl. "What exactly do the roles do?"

Before Kelsey could read it out, Marina explained, "The leader guides the session with the planchette. The documenter doesn't touch this piece but instead takes notes. The energizers fuel the movements with their psychic energy, and lastly, the screamer screams at the first suspicious sound or action done in the room."

"Mexicans," Rylan sighed, shaking her head like she was disappointed in our new friend.

"Black people," Marina teased while sticking her tongue out. "I know your grandmother did voodoo before she passed away. It was the first thing you told me after I said my abuelo used to do seances in his apartment."

"Okay. I'm totally lost. I've known you since freshman year, Ry, and this is the first time you mentioned anything as creepy as that," Kelsey chimed in, absorbing information I'd known for years. Rylan's gram had been one freaky lady.

I remembered going over to her gram's house well. She lived in Louisiana, a place thick with magic of the dark and interesting kinds. Ghosts abounded. There wasn't much of the town that didn't have a slave story or a haunting that had happened. Rylan's own Gram lived in an old slave house that was about twenty acres away from the original plantation. The woman performed seances like Marina's abuelo, but she wasn't above voodoo either. Interestingly enough, the woman had taken a liking to me, asking if she could have some of my hair for one of her dolls. Curious in magic, I had obliged. When Gram had died, Rylan had inherited the voodoo dolls, books, and some of the blessed trinkets the woman had. Right now, Rylan was sporting a rabbit's foot on a thin chain around her throat. Also, she had my voodoo doll.

How did I know that? Rylan never took it off her. Her gram had said that I was special, different. Because of that, Rylan swore to be my guardian. Thus, she never let that doll out of her sight.

Turning my gaze to Marina and Rylan, I watched their eyes roll at Kelsey's comment. The dark skinned girls in the room turned towards each other. Together, they groaned, "White people."

"Uh. I'll have you know that I am fifty percent French. My father came from France, and I speak it fluently. I'd like to hear some of that Swahili your grandparents spoke way back when," Kelsey smarted back, a grin playing on her pale skin.

"Yeah, and the rest of you must be five percent German, two percent Irish, ten percent Italian, and only the lord knows what else," Rylan snickered.

"Yeah. You and Neomi are like the White Mystery flavored Airheads," Marina taunted back.

Three tongues stuck out at each other as I snickered towards the girls. This was the reason that we got along so well. We may have only met each other because of taking a comic book class as an extra credit towards our university degrees, but it had brought all of us together. Girls Night In was always the best.

"Okay, back to the hot pink alphabet," I break in to get three pairs of different colored eyes turned towards me. "Rylan, you're the most outspoken and obnoxious, so you're a perfect leader. Kelsey, you can be the screamer because everything scares you, and we can't take you to any horror movies. Ever. Marina, you know a lot about this stuff, so you can be the documentor. I'll be the energizer just because I have cat ears on and can pretend that they're bunny ears."

Three hands go down to the board even as Marina protests, "Just because you have cat ears you get to be the Energizer Bunny. No fair!"

"But, it makes the most sense because you have the most experience," I complained.

"Ugh! Fine. This is just because I owe you for letting me see your answers on your old calculus midterm," she grumbled. Grabbing a pen and paper, Marina crossed her legs underneath herself. "Are we all good to go then, boss?"

Rylan and I nod our heads at the same time. The best thing about the two of us was the simple fact that we both were the boss. It was no wonder we both nodded our heads at Marina's question.

Rylan's eyes closed in front of me. As Kelsey glanced my way, I shrugged. "Okay," Rylan's voice suddenly broke in. Kelsey's body jumped clean towards the sky at her abrupt sound. "If there is a ghost in the room, could you move this to the 'yes' or 'hello'?" she asked in all seriousness and getting right down to business.

I was honestly surprised at Rylan's tone of voice. She was laid back and a prankster. Seriousness was a rare thing for her. The only times I ever saw Rylan serious was whenever she was playing sports or studying for exams. The fact that she was taking something as light-hearted as asking a plastic board about a comic book blew my mind.

Even so, I kept my trap shut. My eyes studiously watched the pink plastic our hands were upon. With lips pursed and eyes trained, I waited… And, I waited… And, I waited… Right when I was getting ready to open my mouth and ask a question of my own, the plastic piece began to move. Hot pink fingernails trembled when Kelsey barked, "Are you doing that?"

"No," I sigh, turning my eyes toward Rylan. She was surely the one messing with Kelsey, but when I looked to her, I found her dark brows drawn, a look of tension on her honey skin. "Don't tell me that you're actually getting into this," I scoff.

Rylan shook her head, sending the curly locks of her fro swinging around her head. "Gram taught us not to doubt the power of spirituality. There's a reason I have a thing for Seith Mages," she adds, watching tensely as the planchette roams towards the Yes written on the pink board.

Leaning in to scribble something unseen on her penpad, Marina hisses, "Ask it something else!" Her body was leaning over the board curiously, and her red lips were parted. When a tortilla fell from her sombrero and onto the board, all of our hands were tossed to throw the tortilla off of it.

Slightly unnerved by that random push, I try to keep myself from thinking anyone but Rylan is pushing around the pink plastic. "Alright. Are you the one that keeps walking around my room at night?"

My blue eyes jerk towards Rylan's hands as soon as the pink piece begins to move once more. The three fingertips just looked the same, minus Kelsey's trembling, but a dog barking at a butterfly could get her to squeal. Still skeptic, I watched the planchette shift back towards the Yes on the board.

If Rylan was just messing with us, which I totally believed she was, she was doing a good job at staying stoic, but not even Rylan and Marina could get the temperature in the room to drop like it felt like it was doing. They had been sitting here with us the whole time. All of the other sorority girls aside from Kelsey and myself had left campus for Spring Break, so they didn't have any other accomplices.

Scowling at this extremely well played prank, I asked, "What's your name?"

As writers Rylan and I knew a ton of baby names. Our computer search history would probably think that we were expecting mothers with how many baby name websites we had saved to our computers. Knowing Rylan, she would be able to make up a name on the spot.

When the plastic piece began to move accordingly, I stared deeply at Rylan's fingers. They weren't pressing down any harder on the board than mine or Kelsey's. Her hands were led along as the temperature in the room felt like it was getting progressively colder. Goosebumps began to rise on my arms as I watched the plastic begin to spell.

In unison we all spelled out, "N-E-O-M-I."

"Oh, come on," I growl, looking at Rylan. "You're clearly just trying to freak me out. If we're just going to play like this, can we at least do it on the consoles?" Even as I narrow my eyes at the chocolate orbs of my strangely tense friend, I feel a strange draft in the room.

The shadows that I had been plagued by here lately began to creep around the room. It was so strange, but when I glanced at the clock above the television, I noticed something. It was the Witching Hour, the same time that I normally saw those strange, dark figures.

Those shadows were the reason that I had even met Rylan in the first place. When I had been younger, I had seen them. They would creep around my room like evil guardians. Just like something out of the stories that I liked to read, they would flow about the walls in odd swirling motions, beckoning to me. When I had been telling one of my elementary school friends about it, she had laughed at me. Then came Rylan. In all her tall, athletic glory the new girl to the third grade had turned into an overprotective guard dog. After that, Rylan had carried me to the outskirts of the playground to show off some of her gram's trinkets. We had been friends ever since, but as I got older, the shadows followed me less. Eventually, they had faded away.

Rylan had always said that it was because I had given her gram my hair, but I didn't fall into that explanation. I had just assumed that I'd grown out of it. Now that her gram was dead and the shadows were back, I had started to change my mind just the least bit. Even so, it wasn't very cool for Rylan to be screwing with me since she knew all of this.

"Neomi, I'm not playing," Rylan explained, looking straight into my eyes with the same serious stare she'd given me the day her gram had said that I was special.

My mouth opened up to state something until I caught one of the shadows out of the corner of my eye. It was slithering like a viper down the cream painted walls of the townhouse, but it was slithering with a purpose. Unlike the other shadows that merely ebbed and flowed, this one had direction.

Lips parted on a breath as I stared transfixed to the black figure slinking its way down the wall. As soon as it crossed over the baseboard at the carpeted floors, it made a headlong stab in my direction. The shadow was flat but long. Its body slithered in a serpentine motion, but I couldn't move.

"Neomi?" Kelsey wondered from the corner of my vision. "Ne-Ne? Neomi? Oh, come on, Ne-Ne, you're freaking me out! Rylan, Marina, get her to stop. I'm never going to get any sleep tonight!" she pleaded.

Even when her fingers snapped right in front of my eyes, I couldn't move. Staring long and hard at the figure, I waited frozen. When it finally came to me, I saw it pull from the ground. Darkness swelled up around me, but right as it came within reaching distance, my hands tore from the planchette. Breath pulled from my mouth in hot puffs when I laid my hands down behind me.

"Neomi?" Marina wondered, hustling to grab my shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I just… saw one of those things… again…" My eyes stare forward. They hit the Ouija board, and I gape at the sight of my shadow stretching to connect me to its. Jerking my eyes towards the only light in the room, I saw the overhead lamp trying to give diffused light in the living room. The angle was all wrong. My shadow should have been cast behind me not in front of me. Adjusting, I place my hand on the black, the darkness that for some reason only I can see.

"T-The plastic's still moving!" Kelsey shrieks, flinging her hands off the planchette running around on the hot pink board. "Rylan! Stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Rylan snarls. She was on her hip as the planchette danced about without any hands on it. "This is some poltergeist shit!" Hastily, Rylan hops onto her feet. She looks like she was about to make a mad dash for the light switch in the room until Kelsey beat her to it.

The blonde was charging her way to the light switch. My eyes grew wide when I saw another one of those viper-like shadows slinking from the walls. They grew from the corners of the room to bleed down, and to my horror I saw the same thing that happened to me happen to Kelsey.

The serpent slunk towards her as I floundered to get to my feet. Hand reaching out, I open my mouth to say something. As soon as the darkness connects to her shadow, Kelsey seemingly trips over air. Her sharp screech pulls from her lips as her face hits the floor, and when I try to run towards her, I'm pulled backwards by an unseen hand.

"What the hell is going on here!" Kelsey cries out when her body is pulled backwards towards the Ouija board. Her pink nails scrape across the carpet, and her statement turns into an outright scream of terror as she's hauled backwards.

Sinking my own nails to keep from being pulled back by the darkness trying to suck the two of us up, my head gets whipped around to the sound of Marina's squeal. The shadows wrap around her ankle, pulling her on her back towards the Ouija board.

"Neomi!" Rylan cries as she locks one hand around Marina's wrist and the other on the couch in the room. Her toned legs hold her in spot as she, too, is dragged towards the board. "Is it _them_?"

"Hell if I know!" I bark out, latching onto Kelsey before she can go any further. My shirt rises up as the hands pulls us backwards. The carpet stings into my skin, cutting it worse than sliding across a blade. My fingernails bend backwards, breaking and bleeding.

Snatching onto an armchair, I take it with me as Kelsey and I are sucked towards the board. My teeth grit down hard as I keep from going down. As I flex every muscle I own, I try to keep from getting hauled backwards. When I start to gain some strength and pull myself away, I hear an ethereal voice call, "Come home, Neomi."

Eyes open wide, and the grip I had on the Lazy Boy loosens. "Mom!" I gasp, losing my hold instantly. Four screams fill the air when Kelsey's nails dig into my skin. Her grip is deadly. She's holding onto me for dear life, and those sharp nails of her send scratches down my arm as I get sucked backwards.

When my body finally hits the board, I don't find any floor. Hands grapple for carpet, anything, and I try to keep from falling in. It feels like hundreds of hands have latched onto my leg. They grab me tight and don't let go. Their weight is immense, and their strength can't be measured as I clench my teeth.

"Neomi!" they all cry out over the top of me. Rylan's hand stretches out after she latches Marina onto the couch. "Neomi, take my hand!" she screams to me as lights flicker over her head.

Stretching, I try to reach up. My fingers brush hers. My heart pulses hard. I can hear it in my ears, and I grab onto the end of the carpet as my body is sucked downwards. Right when my fingers skim the many bangles on her wrist, I see Kelsey's blonde hair go flying.

Her wails fade as she's slung within the rift that opened up inside of a freaking townhouse living room, but she wasn't the only one. In a gust of unnatural wind Marina goes next. Her chocolate locks whip up all around her face as she howls. With her nails dug behind her into the carpet, she can't even escape the suction of the void. "Save me!" she screams.

My hands reach out, snagging tightly onto her wrist. The force of her fall nearly tears my shoulder out of socket, but I don't dare let go. Her dangling hand shoots up to grab onto me, causing my body to shift as I hang on with all my might. Just as my grip on Rylan locks into place, another gust of wind throws us down. Sweaty palms slip against each other as my hand is forced to let go. As my body gets sucked into darkness, I hear Rylan give a battle screech. "You're not leaving me that easily!" she roars before diving right in after me.

Our bodies float in the strange void as we're all sucked downwards. Hearts rise into our chests, and stomachs rise into our throats. It felt like every organ I owned was trying to escape out of my screaming mouth as we were sucked upwards.

Over our heads I could see the living room. I could see the shifted furniture and the blinking of the townhouse lights. Papers flew all around, and the pages of my still open manga shuffled around on their spine while we tumbled downwards into darkness.

Rylan's afro shifted around her head above me. Marina's curls went in a rampant tornado about her heart shaped face. Even further beneath us, I could hardly see Kelsey. Her shrieks were all I heard over everyone else's. That girl had a pair of lungs like no one could believe.

Beneath us there was nothing but darkness. Ahead of us the flickering lights of the living room were getting closed off as more objects were sucked within the black hole. With those long, snakes still wrapped around our ankles it felt like we were tumbling into hell.

It felt like my teeth were going to crack under the pressure I had put down upon them. Just when it felt like this fall was never ending. Just when it felt like things couldn't get any worse, I saw my friends disappear in front of me. Kelsey's body faded deep within the darkness. Marina was fully wrapped by the shadowy appendage pulling her downwards, and the hand Rylan had locked around mine was turning darker by the second.

One moment my best friend had her fingers intertwined with mine. The next moment she was gone. I was alone and falling into darkness right as that darkness began to open up. A maw of light opened like the parting lips of a black skinned demon.

Clawing towards the light, I didn't stop in my screaming. As a matter of fact, I was positive that it got louder when I realized my fall was far from never ending. When I left the void of black, I was expelled towards rocks—freaking large ones!

My hands clamped over the top of my head, and I entered the fetal position like a frightened babe. "Holy Hell!" I screamed with all my might as I tumbled down, down, and down.


	2. Sabertooth

**Hello, FanFiction peeps, I'm here to thank you for reading the story. I just posted it, and I already have people following. Which is freaking awesome! So, yeah. Thanks for following me ya darn adorable stalkers. I hope that I throw you for a loop if you really suspected a certain dragon slayer to be the one that finds our freaked out friend. Also, what kind of magic do you think Ne-Ne has? I'm curious about what you think will go down.**

* * *

Sabertooth

With his arms behind his back, he stared towards the sky. It had looked perfectly normal for the majority of the day, but now… not so much. As a matter of fact, it looked rather freakish. The bright blue sky had shifted to abrupt black. Lengths of shadow had shot out from the white, fluffy clouds. The flat, ebony spear had then spread out to several appendages that sunk within the blue of the sky. Those lengths had then proceeded to grow more lines in a circular formation. Eventually, a spider web had turned into a swirling, black vortex.

Now, Orga couldn't take his eyes off the vortex as he strolled through the woods. "Somber shadows creeping over innocent lands is far from a blessing," Rufus poetically explains from his spot beside the burly male. The Memory Make Mage and the Lightning God Slayer had gone on a mission together. That was the whole purpose for going through the woods with one another. All Orga had expected on this mission was Rufus making poetic comments and talking about remembering stuff. He didn't expect for the sky to go black and Rufus to get inspired by said darkness.

Even so, the only response that came from Orga's lips was a gruff, "Mmm." His dark eyes checked out the vortex even closer. It was shifting. He could tell that much from the way the shadowy clouds were parting around the center directly over their heads. A shaft of light laid directly upon the two mages, and as soon as that white eye opened fully the first thing Orga's ears could capture was someone screeching, "Holy Hell!"

As soon as his eyes adjusted to the random burst of light, he saw a dark figure in the shape of a human body. The body was curled up so tight that Orga couldn't tell whether the figure was male or female. What he could tell, though, was that the humanoid figure was falling headlong towards him.

Eyes grew wide as he shifted about on the ground. "Remember to catch her," Rufus intoned, seemingly muttering to himself as he adjusted to catch the tumbling figure.

"Her?" Orga wondered, still not able to tell what the gender of the falling creature was. As the screeching came closer and closer, he could feel his eardrums demanding for her to shut up. His ears hissed in pain, but he didn't dare move. Right when the supposed woman got into his range, the large man pushed off with his right foot to snag her before Rufus could.

A mess of hair the same color of autumn leaves collapsed all around his shoulders and the face of the humanoid, but when he glanced down to a black tank top and equally black tights, he immediately assumed the figure to be female. No man could have thighs as shapely as the ones in his arms.

Little fists came up to press against a voluptuous chest, and the woman wouldn't stop freaking screaming even as she laid in the cradle of his biceps. Like he was dusting away a cobweb, Orga forced hair out of the woman's face. He was amazed to see skin as pale and flawless as porcelain but dotted in a mess of light caramel freckles, but the image was shattered when she would shut the hell up.

"Stop screaming!" Orga yelled over the top of her. His mouth was held into a befanged snarl when the most crystalline blue eyes he'd ever seen popped open at his demand. But, the silence of her screams didn't last. When she took one look at his tattooed face, her pouty, pink mouth burst open into a scream while she tried to scramble away from him.

Legs flailed. Hands clawed. A pair of cat ears that had been in that orangey-red mane flopped to the ground as she wriggled around like a sabercat. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" she wailed, wriggling about.

"Fine!" he barked, releasing her instantly. The arms holding her up disappeared from underneath her, and the woman landed flat on her ass in the dirt. The screaming turned to howling when she landed on her tailbone, but hey, he was just following orders.

"Not the most gentle way to help a damsel in distress," Rufus scolded as he bent to one knee on the rocky trail. Orga's reply came in the form of a curled lip and a gust of air. Smiling at his comrade, Rufus merely brushed hair from this strange female's face. "Are you okay?" he questioned.

Wincing with her long lashes held tight, she hissed, "Hell, no! I fell from the damned sky. What do you think, Captain Oblivious?" Her entire body shifted where she proceeded to rub the rump she landed atop. Little, pearly white teeth clenched tight as she forced herself to her knee. When Rufus extended a hand to help her up, she wistfully accepted it even with her eyes still closed. "So, is this hell?" she wondered when she finally popped back open those crystal eyes.

"No. This is the Emerald Forest. We're two hours from Azalea Town," Rufus informed of the woman who'd finally stopped her shrieking. His eyes were carefully taking her in from her tights to the back currently turned to him. While Rufus may have been admiring her figure, Orga noted the fact that she was barefoot and wearing cat ears, ears that were currently on the ground at his feet.

After she'd finally stopped rubbing her sore butt, the woman scoffed, "Ha. Emeralds and azaleas. Demons must have an ironic sense of humor." Her body finally shifted. "I want to thank you for… saving… m...e…"

The woman's lips stopped moving, her words fading out like a sound on the wind. When she laid those eyes of hers back upon Orga and Rufus, she couldn't form cognitive sound. As a matter of fact, she didn't even look like she could function properly anymore. All of the color drained from her face, and her already big eyes got even bigger.

"Miss?" Rufus wondered, leaning closer to her.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-"

"You?"

Her head nodded. "Y-You're R-R-R-"

"Rufus," he filled in.

"You're Rufus a-and O-O-O-" Before Rufus had time to fill in that blank, the woman turned into a limp noodle. Her legs completely gave out underneath her as all the color was sucked out from her body. When those eyes rolled back in her head like something out of an exorcism, Rufus nearly went down with her.

Snatching the two of them up by his collar and her bicep, Orga held the two of them in either hand. "This day just keeps getting weirder," Orga states. His reaction from Rufus? An extremely wooden nod.

* * *

Warm bed sheets and a cold compress on her forehead were what gave Neomi the courage to open her eyes up. Slowly, she opened them, fearing just what she would find behind their veil. Her eyelids felt like they were stuck together, kind of like that thick hardening of mucus when you got sick or cried a whole lot. It took her a couple of times before she could break the lips open past the hardness that had sealed them together. Also, her throat hurt. It was sore to the point of feeling raw.

Her hand slipped underneath the blankets to massage that sore throat, and Neomi stared up towards a hideous, white popcorn ceiling much like the one in her townhouse. Ah. Yes. A dream. That was all last night had been. They must have all fallen asleep in the living room and Rylan had taken her to her room. Damn. Whatever beer they had been drinking with those chips and salsa was some hefty stuff. Neomi felt like she had a hangover from hell.

Despite it all, Neomi was just glad it was over. She had actually believed that she'd fallen through a portal and into the Fairy Tail universe for a second there. Snickering at her stupidity, Neomi lifted herself up on her elbows.

That motion alone got her compress to fall off her forehead where it settled onto plain white bedsheets. Plain. White. Bedsheets.

Neomi blinked. This was not her turquoise duvet. That was not her cheap university given dresser sitting at the foot of the bed. Those walls were not the same nasty yellow-white paint that was in her room at the university, and that sure as hell was not Rylan, Kelsey, or Marina staring at her from the opposite end of the room.

Green hair. Dark eyes. Face tattoos.

Blonde hair. Dark green eyes. Masquerade mask.

Her jaw went slack as she gaped wide eyed towards either the best cosplayers that Neomi had ever seen or the wierdest hallucination that Neomi had ever had. Rubbing her fists against her eyes, Neomi blinked again at the two people staring back at her. "If this is some Alice in Wonderland shit, I do not want to be a part of it," she mentioned.

"Alice in Wonderland?" the Rufus hallucination wondered.

Instead of letting the hallucinations keep talking, Neomi shifted from the bed. Her hand went to her arm where the proceeded to pinch the ever living hell out of herself. Twisting the skin hard, Neomi winced at the sharp pain. _You aren't supposed to feel pain in dreams_, she snaps to herself.

Shaking her head, Neomi feels her red locks wave about her face as they normally would. She had a perception of feeling. When she took a deep breath through her nose, she could smell a hospital, the sterile scent that just smelt like the color white. Also, when she swallowed she could feel the harsh stab of a dry throat that desperately wanted water.

"This is a dream," she laughs, falling back on the bed while clenching her skull. "This is a dream. Someone gave me LSD. This is just a dream." Her head smacked against the pillow with a soft _whoosh _of sound, and she stared up at the popcorn ceiling that had deceived her.

"This isn't a dream," the Rufus hallucination stated as it strolled up to her. "I could get the nurse for you if you're still not feeling well, but I assure you, my dear, that you aren't dreaming."

Neomi shakes her head and smacks her fists against the bed like an angry child. "No. No. No. That's exactly what a hallucination would want me to think. That Ouija board was just a big prank that Rylan and Marina did to us. This isn't real." Neomi whipped her body up to place her hand on Rufus's chest. As soon as her hand didn't pass through him like it should have were he a hallucination, she gave a groan, "Oooh. No. No. No. This is just a crazy dream where I have a heightened sense of perception. This ain't real. I bet that I'm just seeing shit, and the two of you are just Marina and Rylan in disguise."

Neomi's hands found their way to Rufus's mask, and she pulled it up to his forehead. All she got was a pair of deep green eyes blinking back at her. As soon as she realized that the image wasn't going to waver into one of her friends, she flung herself back on the bed. Hands wrapped around a pillow, and she slammed it against her face. Screaming into the pillow, she rolled side to side like a psych patient.

"Orga, could you get the nurse? Tell her that the patient isn't doing well. Poor thing's going crazy," Rufus requested before his hands stilled the rolling girl. The massive man in the room rose to leave it. A hand pressed down on her shoulder, and the other cradled her face gently. "Shh. You're okay. Orga and I found you when you fell from that dark portal in the sky. We'll take care of you," Rufus soothed in a romantic voice.

It didn't work. All it got was Neomi staring at him with wide, crystal eyes. All that Rufus could see was a big, fluffy pillow then a pair of wide eyes. Above that was a chaotic mess of autumn locks that spread out all over the place. She looked horribly frightened and not just a little bit confused.

After a moment, a nurse in traditional attire stepped into the room. She had a clipboard in hand. Once she'd placed it on a nightstand beside the bed, she asked, "How are you feeling, dear?"

"Freaked out of my ever living mind," Neomi replied honestly. Her wide eyes watched the nurse withdraw a thermometer before asking Neomi to open wide. Obeying, she let the nurse do her job.

Once the thermometer had gotten its reading, the nurse checked the numbers. "Ninety-seven degrees fahrenheit. You're not bad, miss…"

"Neomi. Neomi Sumer," she answers. Leaning up on her elbow only to be pressed right back down by Rufus, she asks, "Have you seen anymore girls today? Ya know, freaks that fell from the sky like me? Their names might be Rylan, Marina, or Kelsey. One's black. Another's Mexican. And, the last one is a blonde, French girl that screams at anything slightly strange or out of place."

"No, dear. I'm sorry. You're the first fallen angel we've gotten today," the nurse explained with a sweet smile. She tucked the thermometer away, likely going to clean it later, then pulled up a rolling chair. "So, could you tell me what happened to get you here?"

Laughing, Neomi sighs, "I'm talking to hallucinations about my problems." After pinching the bridge of her nose, she decides that she might as well go with it. "This will probably sound like I'm high out of my mind, but you probably get that all the time with the mages that come in and out of here. Right?" she wonders to the patient nurse.

"Pretty much, dear. Now?"

"Okay. It started out pretty simple. Ya know? It was me, Marina, Rylan, and Kelsey. We always have this thing called Girls' Night In. We do it every week, and since it's Spring Break at the University of Memphis where I go to school at, we decided to have Girl's Night every night since we're all single. Anyway, I've been seeing these wacky shadow things creeping in my room. Well, I tell my friend about it. She's this girl that's all into Voodoo and dark magic, so she instantly suggested that we get an Ouija board to contact the spirit that's been haunting me. Long story short, something freakish possesses the board, gobbles us up, and spits us out into Fiore. That's my story. I'm sticking to it," Neomi blurts out, spilling all of the information out pretty much directly onto the nurse's lap.

For a while the room was just silent. Only the scribbling of the nurse on her clipboard filled the air. As she tapped her pencil against the parchment, Neomi looked to the mages she knew. Orga was sitting quietly. His massive body was slouched in a waiting chair. Two big feet were propped out in front of him. Both hands were behind his head. Rufus on the other hand had drawn a chair up. He sat properly with his hat in his lap and waited for the nurse to speak with this limitless look of patience on his face. Why was he being so kind to her? Sabertooth wasn't supposed to be the sweetest of guilds. At least, according to how far she was in the story, they weren't. Maybe, this was a side effect of the hallucination.

After the nurse finished with her scribble, she looked towards Neomi with a stern expression. "Okay. So, what you're telling me is that you fell from a portal created when you and some friends were playing with an… Ouija… board? Then, you came here. Could you explain to me what an Ouija board is?"

Nodding, Neomi stated, "It's a spirit board. The board allows us to contact the dead… I guess that you could consider it like a form of Seith Magic that anyone can use?"

The nurse nodded her head solemnly. "Now, in what town is this University of Memphis?"

"Memphis, Tennessee. It's in another world separate from this one," Neomi explained, feeling just the least bit stupid that she was actually playing along with her hallucination. "Where I'm from, Fiore is a made up world created by Hiro Mashima." _Which is why this can't be real,_ she thought.

"And, who is this Hiro Mashima?"

"Author of the anime and manga Fairy Tail."

"Ah. I see." The nurse went back to scribbling on her board. After a few more moments, she finishes then takes a bow. "Alright. Thank you, Neomi-san. I believe that I have enough information to get your diagnosis from the doctor. I'll be back posthaste."

"Uh… Sure," Neomi mentioned when the nurse got up. As soon as the door closed once more to leave her with her hallucinations, she promptly flung herself right back down on the hospital bed. As soon as she caught sight of that traitorous popcorn ceiling, she hissed, "You bastard. Making me think I was in my townhouse." _When instead I'm just hallucinating vividly, so much so that I'm actually imagining doctors and nurses thinking that I'm crazy. Damned subconscious._

"So, Neomi?" Rufus wondered, taste testing Neomi's name for the first time. Ah. He wasn't going to let her drown in confusion. Gee. Thanks.

"So, halluci-Rufus?" she wondered right back at him, keeping her pillow firmly tucked under her chin. Her body shifted off to the side where she could get a better look at him. He wasn't wavering like she would assume a hallucination would. He also didn't have a distorted voice like she would assume him to have. Especially since all she'd ever heard on him were voice actors. This Rufus had a perfect voice, different from his actors but still functional for his face. Weird.

"Halluci-Rufus?" He shook his head then ignored the statement. "You're from another world?"

"Yup," she stated. "And, you're not supposed to be real. Thus, I'm hallucinating."

"You're not hallucinating. This is real, and I will remember it."

"Yeah, well, I hope that I don't. This is way too trippy for me."

He adjusted in his seat, scooting it forward to come closer to Neomi. Once he was in the same spot as the nurse, he asked, "Why not? I find it wonderful that a beautiful woman falls from the sky like an angel from the heavens above. It should be a memorable experience to say the least."

"Mmm. Yeah, but not when the only reason you're remembering it is because you're high out of your mind." Neomi's eyes cut in the direction of Orga's long winded snarl as he takes in the two of them. Rufus looked like he had a new toy to play with in the form of a woman. Orga just looked like he was pissed off and getting angrier by the second. "What's your problem, Green Giant?"

"We're not freaking hallucinations, you dim wit! If we were, do you think that I could do this?" He shot his hand out, and Neomi's eyes widened when he pointed a fistful of black lightning in her direction. By opening up that palm, a bolt of lightning shot directly over her skull where she proceeded to let out a sharp squeal from her lips.

"Holy shit!" she squeaks, dipping beneath the pillow she was holding onto for dear life. "You could have freaking hit me!"

"Ha! Yeah. Like my aim is that bad," he scoffed, leaning back with a cocky smirk on his lips.

Growling, Neomi sat straight up in the bed. Her eyes narrowed at the mage, and she hastily snatched a box of tissues off the nightstand. With a practiced arm, she hurdles it towards the mage. Since he was too busy gloating in his own pride, the sap didn't expect it when Neomi got cardboard revenge on his stupid face.

"The hell was that for, woman!" he snaps, jerking up from his spot.

Wearing her own prideful smirk, Neomi chirps, "Just returning the anger, big boy. Now, sit your ass down. Here comes the doctor." When he looks like he's about to charge towards her to get some more revenge, a look of pure innocence crosses over Neomi's face. "Oh, no. We wouldn't want the big, scary Green Giant harassing the innocent faced fallen angel, would we? That would be bad." Her index finger crossed over her pouty mouth, and she made her eyes water like the little deceiver she was.

Right when the doctor entered the room with his nurse on his heels, Neomi allowed a single tear to trail down her face. The fake trail of moisture ran down her porcelain skin. She could see Orga weighing his odds before the doctor's eyes zeroed in on Neomi's fake tears. Suspicious eyes went from Neomi's wide eyes then to Orga's scowl. As soon as the doctor gave a questioning look to Rufus, Neomi's pink tongue stuck out from between her lips.

"Is everything okay in here?" he questioned of the woman and Memory Make Mage.

Before Neomi could cause anymore trouble, Rufus stated, "Everything is fine. Neomi and Orga just had a misunderstanding." Even as he tried to keep everything under control, Neomi was still questioning the black lightning that had been attracted to the metal railing behind her head. She thought, _What if this is… real?_

It shouldn't be. What kind of demonic entity would suck her deep within an alternate universe instead of a Hell Realm? Out of all of the different horror movies Neomi had watched on Ouija boards, this had never happened. Neomi was supposed to be in hell not… Fairy Tail.

When the doctor took the seat the nurse had been on, Neomi adjusted in the bed. The sheets tumbled off her body to reveal a patient's gown that was tied together with a string in the back. Just from knowing what these paper dresses were like, Neomi assumed her Batman underwear was on display beneath these white bed sheets. Good to know. She wouldn't stand up in the presence of these people.

Even so, she let her blue eyes roll towards the doctor who was smiling that gentle, doctorly smile towards her. "So, Neomi-san, you say you fell from a portal into our country?" he asked, repeating pretty much the same thing that the nurse had wondered.

Merely nodding her head, Neomi looked to the nurse who was standing quietly beside a counter with the sink, swabs, and other doctor utensils. She was scribbling notes down on her clipboard and looking above Neomi towards a monitor. Narrowing her eyes, Neomi looked from a band attached to her wrist then she followed a cord running up to a monitor that was giving strange signals.

It wasn't like a heart monitor. The readings on it weren't the sharp Vs of a heart monitor, and it didn't beep when it hit a peak. As a matter of fact, it hit not peaks at all. What it did look like, though, was a sound wave monitor kind of like on speakers. Multiple lines that looked like sound waves bounced all around. Most of them were high.

The doctor's voice entered her mind when he explained, "We've been running some tests on you ever since the Sabertooth gentlemen brought you in. From our tests, we've discovered that not only do you have an unhealthy amount of magical power within you, but it's also highly unstable. We know very little about this disorder, but it has happened once before. Side effects come in the form of headaches, high fever, and hallucinations. That is likely why you believe that we're not real. Just on an assumption, I would like to say that you dreamed up this place called Memphis, Tennessee before your magic created the dark void you appeared from."

Neomi just cocked her autumn brow. Clucking her tongue against the top of her mouth, she sounded, "Uh-huh." Well, at least her subconscious was trying to make sense of all this bull.

Adjusting in her spot, Neomi threw her long legs out of the bed. "Good to know, doc. Now, can you tell me how to get back inside of that hallucination, or am I just thoroughly screwed?"

The doctor's brows rose over the rim of his glasses at Neomi's blatant statement. A few papers ruffled on his clipboard as he appeared to be looking for something.

Neomi didn't give him much time to search. Holding the back of her paper dress closed, she grabbed her black tank and leggings from a hanger. With a tactic she'd mastered over all the years of feeling self-conscious in gym dressing rooms, Neomi wriggled around to pull her leggings and tank top on without revealing an inch of skin. As soon as she was finished, she grabbed a string on the dress to pull it loose. The paper came off, and she neatly folded it before tossing it on the hospital bed.

"Neomi-san, please, lay back down. You still have a headache and believe you're hallucinating. It's not safe for you to be up out of bed," the doctor stated, rising so quickly from his chair that it tumbled behind him.

His hands grabbed onto Neomi's biceps, but she just laughed, "I don't see why. You just told me that I'm not hallucinating. Since I'm not, I've got to figure a way to get back to my hallucination. Spring Break is going to be over next weekend, and I have to keep my grades up so I don't lose my scholarships."

"Please, just sit down. We can prescribe you something to keep the hallucinations away. Just sit back down and let us take care of you," the doctor tried to soothe.

Neomi wasn't having it. Shaking her head side to side, she pulled from the doctor's grasp. "You've dealt with Mystogan and his alternate universe. Why is it so hard to believe that I'm from another world," she blurts, giving a rather powerful defense.

"Because it's incredibly rare and disturbing to believe that something like that has happened again in the past seven years. Now, sit back down, so we can get your prescription written out." The doctor sat a huffing Neomi right back down on the bed. With her arms crossed under her breasts, she just cast the man a look so spiteful that he did a double-take before setting his chair back to rights. Hastily, he scribbled something down on a small piece of paper before handing it to her. "Just give this to the lady at the front counter, and you can be on your way. But, I don't want you with supervision because of your high magic levels. Do you even know why kind of magic you use?"

"None. I don't use magic. I'm a normal human being. I'm not a-a mage," she stated, scowling even as she accepted the piece of paper. "Besides," she adds, "I don't have anywhere to go. There's no one to look after me even if I need supervision."

"I will have Sabertooth do it then. That is, if you gentlemen don't mind taking care of my patient for some jewel," the doctor threw out, looking towards a frowning Orga but intrigued Rufus.

The masquerade mask bearing mage inclined his head. "Of course, we would accept. We were the ones to find her in the first place. That maiden has become our priority." He stood up while keeping his hat in one hand.

Orga's scowl deepened. He grumbled, "Speak for yourself" even as he rose from his seat.

Snarling right back at the Green Giant, Neomi rose. She forced her red-orange hair out of her face to reveal the many freckles that dotted her skin. Her hands wanted to clench into fists, but she kept from doing so for the sake of her _prescription_.

"That's wonderful," the doctor proclaimed as he moved from the chair. "Here's a prepayment to take care of her needs. I won't have a patient of mine living homeless just because she forgot where she came from. You'll get the rest after she's gathered control of her magic." The kindly doctor's eyes shifted towards Neomi where he flashed her a gentle, forgiving smile.

Neomi's jaw unhinged. He pitied her! He actually thought that she was a psycho. She wished that he would pack up his pity and get lost.

The hands that Neomi had been trying to keep from clenching gave in, and she narrowed her eyes on the man. The shadows that had haunted Neomi all her life started to slither in her vision, and her heart dropped when one snaked from her shadow towards the doctor. Instant fear filled her heart. With just that change in attitude, the snake went from stabbing towards the doctor to instantly fading away.

Coldness filled all of the hot anger that had been inside of her, and Neomi stared wide eyed at her shadow. She was the one that could control the shadows? Was she the one that opened up the portal in the first place? Was this… actually real?

Orga's hand on her tank top got Neomi out of her head. His massive palm was pushing her forward like an owner directing a curious dog from a fire hydrant. Blue eyes glared up to black ones, but she let him lead her. Right now, she was in Sabertooth's hands. Depending on where the manga was at in the Fairy Tail storyline, Neomi wasn't really sure that was a good thing or a bad one.


	3. Hell Gate

**Guys, I hope that all of you love bacon.**

Hell Gate

First, they were on a mission. Now, they were on two missions. This unexpected change of events had taken Rufus by complete surprise as he looked at the redhead shuffling through clothes in a shop. Either way, Rufus was intrigued by the woman darting this way and that inside the store.

Draped over his arm were all the clothing items she was planning on trying out in a dressing room. His arm was graced with lace, silk, cloth, and leather. As more items found their way on his arm, he had no clue how she expected to settle for anything. The snarling lass had turned into a fashionista as soon as Rufus asked if she wanted to get more clothes with the shocking amount of jewel the doctor had given for her expenses. He truly had given Rufus and Orga enough money for a woman's entire year. If this was just the prepayment, Rufus wondered how much they would receive at the end of this job.

Also, upon learning just how much money she had, Neomi had gone crazy in the store. Belts, boots, sandals, bangles, they all appeared outside of the dressing room she'd hijacked from an eager merchant. Rufus didn't think he remembered a single woman, aside from Minerva, that enjoyed clothes this much.

Tossing eyes towards Orga, he smiled at the man who appeared annoyed and slightly embarrassed to be found in such a feminine shop. Then again, he did look extremely awkward standing around in a store named All Things Jacqueline. Were he to just hold himself as aloof as Rufus did, he wouldn't seem awkward enough for the women in the story to giggle at his obvious discomfort.

Either way, it wasn't bothering Rufus in the slightest. He stood quietly like a dutiful boyfriend at Neomi's dressing room. As she _ooed _and _ahhed _at the articles she tried on, Rufus even selected a few pieces to have her try on. Since he was stuck here, he might as well get into it.

Orga shifted closer to Rufus when a couple of girls started giggling at his presence in the pink and lace shop. "How the hell are you not bothered by all of this girlie shit?" Orga questioned, taking a seat by the mage who had handed a steampunk styled dress to a reaching hand.

"I've gone on jobs with Minerva before. She goes clothes crazy when we pass by a shop. I swear that if we wouldn't have gone in, she would have started foaming at the mouth. I believe that I remember such an occasion," Rufus explained. When a few women took sight of the Minstrel Who Sings to the Red Moon, Rufus gave them a gentle wave. They swooned. He liked it.

Ignoring the swooning women, Orga shifted his large frame in the hot pink and pale wooden chair. "So, this doesn't bother you at all?" His hand gestured towards the women shopping and holding up all kinds of frills and lace. Right now, every time Orga opened his eyes, he felt like his masculinity was gradually declining.

Rufus's hand went up to catch a massive tuft of fabric that was a dress Neomi didn't want. Promptly putting it on a hanger then placing it on a Return rack, he stated, "There's nothing wrong with being metrosexual. Besides, we get to look at women, and they get to admire our ability to be comfortably straight in the presence of lingerie and thigh highs." His hand waved over to a table neatly folded with such items. While Rufus was casually taking in the scenery, all Orga could question was _Where does the string go?_

He straightened in his chair when a curvy woman stepped by him with an arm full of strings, lace, and only saints knew what else. When she gave him a casual wink, he started to feel just the least bit hot under the collar he didn't have on. "Need to get out of here," he grumbled.

Right when he was about to stand up and make a quick escape, the curtain blocking Neomi from view was thrown out of the way. "Voila! I have found the one," she announced while stepping from behind the red curtain.

Slender arms rose up to present herself, and Neomi stood to flaunt her new dress. A brown, leather underbust corset cinched her already hourglass shaped body. Two leather straps ran down from it to lock underneath the dress where two silver pieces pulled the skirt of the dress up. Those silver pieces pulled the dress into four tulip petals that circled her thighs. The dress had a cream colored top with puffy, pirate sleeves hanging right off her shoulders, and the skirt was a deep pink so dark it was one shade away from being scarlet. Underneath all of that was a pair of lace lined black thigh highs that dipped beneath brown, leather boots. She even had on a brown, leather backpack for storing travel supplies.

"Beautiful," Rufus complimented. "You picked more than one outfit I would hope." Underneath his mask, his blonde brow rose in question.

"'Course. I'm not completely stupid. I paid for it all when the merchant came to help me put the corset on by the way. It came out to 3,200 jewel," she explained.

Doing the math in his head, Rufus stated, "That barely put a dent in your allowance."

"Sweet. So, what's next?"

"What's next is getting back to our original mission before we got sold a hitchhiker," Orga growled. He slapped two hands on his knees then rose up. "If we're good here, I say that we get doing our job, Rufus."

Letting out a gust of air for Orga's lack of comfort in the presence of so much femininity, Rufus finished hanging Neomi's returns then picked his hat up off the back of his seat. He gave the merchant a wave of goodbye while Orga led the group passed clothing racks that seemed to run the entire length of the store.

He did look hilarious amongst all of this pink. Everything around him was this adorable, dainty style. He was this broad shouldered, muscular beast stomping around in a field of lilies.

A grin crept across Rufus's lips as the bells overhead chimed at the group's exit, and fresh air rolled across their faces. Judging by the sun, it was about twelve in the afternoon. When they had found Neomi, it had been early morning. She had slept half the day away in that hospital. And, had put them seriously behind in their mission.

It wasn't like she had meant to, but it was obvious that their lateness was getting on Orga's nerves. Or, maybe it was something different. Orga was a rather laid back kind of guy. He wasn't usually so gruff. Rufus wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Neomi had gotten one on him with that tissue box to the face earlier.

Either way, they did need to get back on track. The mission was east, and they were still a few hours away from it.

"So, what exactly is this mission that the Green Giant's so worked up about?" Neomi wondered, keeping Orga's new nickname firmly in place.

"We got a story about a town that fell into a state of amnesia when a black portal similar to the one you came from formed over it. Apparently, people who had left and come back returned to find that no one remembered what happened to them that day. Sabertooth was contacted immediately," Rufus informed, curious about whether or not there was a connection between Neomi's portal and the one that formed over Autumn Village.

Neomi had the same curious expression on her face. Autumn brows drew, and pink lips pursed as she thought about it. She muttered, "Maybe, that means we all fell through." After a few more seconds of thought, her head whipped upwards. "Wait a second. This sounds like a mission more suited to your tastes. Why's the Green Giant with you?"

"Will you stop calling me that?" Orga barks, turning around from his leader's position in front of the group.

Crossing her arms, Neomi retorted, "I'll stop calling you the Green Giant when you start acting like you're not pissed off at my very existence. I didn't ask for you to save me. You just did. Get over it."

"I don't remember Orga ever being put in this kind of situation before," Rufus mentioned more to himself than anyone else. Putting one hand on Neomi's shoulder and another on Orga, he explained, "Orga's my usual partner with larger missions. Now, how about we all get along since we accepted the mission to take care of Neomi?"

"You accepted it. Not me," Orga pointed out in a casual tone. "I just want to get paid for our real mission."

Shrugging, Rufus looked from the Sabertooth member then to the lost angel. Orga was standing with his thumbs on the black belt around his hips and staring away from Neomi. Neomi's arms will still crossed. Her blue eyes were looking at the large fountain in the area. He was acting odd. Rufus wasn't really sure if it was just annoyance at being thrown a homeless girl or if it was because she'd interrupted their mission. Even so, he was acting strangely.

Rufus was accustomed to Orga holding himself quiet and aloof. This uncomfortable and on edge version of himself was interesting. Did he think Neomi a burden?

Feeling like a middleman, Rufus walked the group through the town. They were only a few hours from their mission, but this town was too beautiful to pass up. Maybe, walking in silence for a touch would help the two of them get used to being in each other's presence.

Taking the long way, Rufus walked by a fountain. His dark green eyes took in the fountain spray as it thrust from jets around the feet of a statue. Neomi apparently enjoyed it as her shoulders loosened. The hands that had been crossed underneath her chest moved to reach towards the spray.

"If this is a hallucination, at least it's a beautiful one," she muttered to herself.

Her hand skimmed across the surface of the fountain. Fingertips went deeper and deeper before Rufus noted her curling her fingertips underneath the water. He thought she was going to throw water on them before she narrowed her eyes on her hand.

A koi was swimming near it. The bespeckled fish swam around her hand, looking for food, and her black and white painted nails glistened atop its scales as it moved. He watched her curiously as shadows began to pull from her palm and concentrate in the center. Magic? It had to have been.

The darkness in her palm crackled and shivered. It moved with the same fluid motion of the water before giving way. Right when the shadows stretched out to wrap around the fish, Neomi jerked her hand out of the water like it was on fire.

Blue eyes flashed wide, and her mouth parted on a gasp. Instead of saying anything about, Rufus just kept on walking. The exit was coming up soon, and he wanted to get to the village before nightfall.

Strolling through the busy streets, he passed flower girls selling roses and vendors offering up food. The streets of Azalea were often an active place. Today was no different. That activity alone was a reason that he liked to walk the long way before leaving this town.

It always smelt wonderful. The food cooking on outdoor pits held an aroma that attracted wanderers from all around. The women here were beautiful. They flitted about shopping and selling merchandise. Long story short it was just a good place to be.

Walking underneath the bell tower, Rufus and the group finally made their way out of the town and into the woods that surrounded it. Much like the town, the forest was a beautiful place. It was revered for such beauty and the lightning bugs that flew about in the summer.

But, the lightning bugs of the Azalea Forest were far from average. They only came out during thunderstorms and absorbed the electrical charges that came in the air. Make one angry, and it wasn't just going to fly around your head. It was going to fire those charges at you.

Turning towards Neomi, Rufus wondered whether or not he should tell that to a girl who thought all of this was a dream.

* * *

Big eyes took in the sights around her, and Neomi gaped at her surroundings. Everything was just like the manga showed. The trees in this forest were huge, so huge that they made Redwoods appear dwarfish. Massive vines looked like ropes stretching up the hardy tree trunks, and oversized leaves cast shadows long enough to devour Neomi whole.

Her broken fingernails skimmed across the tree trunks, and she felt them like she would the body of a lover. Pure reverence.

"Everything is so much more beautiful here," she breathed out, catching the ears of her escorts. Rufus just replied with a quiet smile. Orga turned towards the canopy that had turned dusk to midnight.

His deep voice stated, "It's not half bad. I just wonder what you'll think about the bugs here. If you think you're hallucinating, you'll really believe it when you see those things." Orga leaped over a large tree branch that had fallen down.

As a matter of fact, the entire forest looked like a tornado had come after it. Taking Rufus's extended hand in her own grip, Neomi hopped on the tree branch Orga had crossed. As she looked at the many limbs that had fallen with this single dismemberment, Neomi noted the almost unnatural twisting of tree limbs and the variety of broken branches dangling like widowmakers overhead.

"Is this from the portal?" she wondered, leaping down a branch only to slip on it dampness. The rear end that was still sore from behind dropped flat on the ground earlier today got popped once more when Neomi landed right back on it. A sharp hiss of pain slipped from her lips, but she didn't let it stop her. Before anyone could offer a hand, she had already grabbed onto what she assumed to be twig judging by this log's size.

Rufus hopped down and slid to the spot she was at. Once he got to her side, he said, "I'm not sure. I guess that it could be, but I don't remember hearing anything about a tornado. Your portal didn't cause any destruction. To my knowledge of course." He jumped down then extended his hands up for her to leap into.

Even though she thought she was far too heavy for his body to support, Neomi popped from the tree limb and into his outstretched arms. He held her in a gentlemanly fashion before setting her back on her feet.

Once back on slippery, wooden ground, Neomi held onto another branch to keep from slipping off the branch. "What other than a tornado could have caused all of this then?" A slender palm stretched out, and Neomi gestured to the destruction around her.

Underneath that mask, Neomi could tell that Rufus's brows were furrowing. His mouth opened up to say something until Orga's heavy body landed beside them. Even when the tremors of his added weight on the sloping branch left, the hunk of wood didn't stop shivering.

It felt like something was slamming on the earth to cause the forest around them to shiver. Neomi's questioning eyes looked to her confused comrades before she settled her gaze on Orga. His brows were drawn, and his body was moving to a battle stance. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he shouted, "Everybody move!"

Burly arms covered the heads of both Neomi and Rufus as Orga tackled the group to the ground. Neomi's broken nails dug into his skin. After wriggling around, she stared at a beast, a freaking large one!

Hooved feet were upon them in an instant as Orga covered the group's heads with his large palms. All that Neomi could see were massive feet and a massive body. Obviously coarse and wiry fur ran over them as Neomi stared at the underbelly of what she would have to call a boar on steroids.

Black and white nails dug into Orga's biceps, and Neomi had to bit her own tongue to keep from screaming. Either way, it didn't help. As soon as the boar ran over the top of them, it spun right back around to come charging over one more time.

"It knows we're here," Rufus hissed out, moving out from underneath Orga.

Orga lifted himself up. He sat Neomi in the apex of two branches then stated, "Don't move."

"Don't move! You've gotta be kidding me. I don't want to be _that _girl," Neomi snarled back even though her makeshift knights were already dashing into battle. As the two of them charged with the same aggression as the boar, Neomi wriggled out of her tight spot.

She stared in astonishment at the two mages when they took on a boar that looked like something straight from a Hercules movie. It was big. It was red eyed. And, boy, was it angry.

That didn't deter either of the Saber mages. If anything, it just caused smiles to erupt over their skin. Extending his hand out, Rufus commanded, "Memory Make: Shrine of Turbulent Fang!"

Whirlwinds erupted from his palm, and when he swept his hand into a downwards, slashing motion, those whirlwinds went on a one-way conga line towards the charging demon hog. Neomi's lips parted when the winds converged on each other to slam home on the raging beast. A squeal of epic proportions pulled forward from the mouth of the large tusked boar, but it wasn't done yet.

With its body still soaring sky high, Orga's hands came together. Lightning crackled all around his body. He shouted, "Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!" A powerful explosion of lightning thrust forward from his crossed palms and ejected to the descent of the boar.

Even though the blast took hold, it did nothing to the overgrown monster pig. The earth around their bodies gave a quake when the boar landed on its bent knees, but it was right back up in half a heartbeat.

As soon as it got into position that mighty head rocked side to side. The threats of its one large tusk and the jagged spikes of its broken one came nearer when the hog gave another charge. Its heavy head bent downwards, and as soon as he came to the two startled mages, those tusks tucked right underneath the boys. One toss of his head later, and they went sailing.

Bodies slammed home into the tree trunks overhead. The smash of flesh against limb sent some of the widowmakers dropping. Yipping in fear, Neomi made a mad dash away from the spears of a limb diving straight for her. She could feel the blast of wind as the branch stabbed directly into the "safe spot" Orga and Rufus had wanted her to stay in. Yeah, there's a reason some demands are not to be taken seriously.

Keeping that thought in mind, Neomi turned her body to a squealing sort of danger. As Orga and Rufus screamed out her name, Neomi's body shifted in the direction of the raging pig.

Eyes flew open wide. Teeth bit down on each other. Neomi had no clue what to do as the hog shook its mighty skull in her direction. She felt like she could see every sinew of muscle throbbing, stretching, and pulling within the boar as it charged her way. Eyes caught hold of a single beam of light that had broken through the canopy to shine on an ivory tusk. She watched that light go from the maw of the boar then glimmer at the very tip of its tusk before she finally opened her mouth to scream.

Hands came up to defend herself from injury, and a horrified scream ripped from her lips. The earth didn't stop quaking. She could feel the tremors getting stronger and stronger the closer the boar came to her.

Orga's lightning fired up around his body, but Neomi only knew that because she could hear it. Her eyes were too focused on the boar heading her way. Adrenaline was pumping so hard inside of her body, and some strange part of her was wondering why the hell she had neither a fight or flight response at this moment in time.

Keeping her hands up and her mouth screaming, Neomi barely registered what was happening inside of her mind as darkness crept around her. Underneath her body, her shadow lengthened. It stretched out similarly to how it had to grab all of the girls and take them to this crazy world.

Instead of dashing towards Orga or Rufus, the shadow struck out to connect with the boar. A variety of tiny arms pulled from the ground the shadow was attached to, and once the darkness had completely eaten the space between Neomi and the boar, a pit opened up beneath the hog.

Shadowy limbs reached up. They sunk into the coarse hide of the boar. As the pig gave frightened squeals, what looked to be a Gate to Hell was opening up and sucking it down. Those demonic arms grabbed everything they could get on the boar.

One grabbed a leg. Another grabbed a tusk. As more wicked limbs came up to snatch the boar, Neomi watched the boar's frantic attempts to escape. It writhed and thrashed in fear. It squealed like a frightened child.

Moving her hands away from her face, Neomi cried, "Stop it!"

Devil's hands froze in their movements. The dark void that they had come from turned from pitch black to grey. Demonic grasps faded to white, and before Neomi knew it, the boar was released from its wicked hold. In a flash of light like a thousand white rose petals in the wind, a confused boar laid on its belly atop fallen tree limbs.

Not even scared anymore, Neomi charged forward. She ran as fast as she could to get to the pig with moisture in its eyes. Tripping over a branch, Neomi's body went head over heels as she rolled down a slick tree limb. When her body stopped, it was only to slam home into the coarse hair of the boar.

Digging her palms deep within the fur of its face, Neomi looked into an eye that was the size of her head. "Shh," she soothed to the beast. "It's okay now. Omi has you. Everything's going to be okay." In comforting strokes Neomi pet the beast of a boar.

As soon as her head laid against its snout, a massive poof sounded around her. One second there was a giant pig in her hands. The next second, she was hugging air. When Neomi blinked down, all she saw was a baby boar with the cutest stripes running down its fur squealing into her lap.

The little pig burrowed its face against her abdomen like it just couldn't get close enough. With her own eyes watering in confusion, Neomi scooping the piglet in her arms. Little hooves pressed against her collarbone as Neomi ran her face against the baby boar. When she felt something stab inside of her skin, she held the babe away from her face. A splinter…

When the pig stilled in its squirming, Neomi reached her hand out to the baby. Her fingernails locked onto the chunk of wood stabbing the adorable piglet, and as soon as the splinter was gone, the pig made a snort of relief.

"A splinter?" Orga questioned when he landed behind her.

Not wanting this adorable creature to be dissed in the slightest, Neomi grabbed it up in her arms. "Yeah, like you've never overreacted about anything in your life before?" The pig grunted in agreement.

"Amazing to see a wild boar with Transformation Magic," Rufus informed as he bent down to pet the little piglet.

"I'm naming her Bacon," Neomi stated matter of factly.

"You're naming that demonic hog… Bacon?" Orga questioned, likely wondering whether Neomi's medication would be enough to keep her sane.

"Uh. Yeah. Problem?" Neomi cuddled the pig and rubbed her face against its. "You like being called Bacon. Don't you?" The pig gave an excited squeal.

"That thing isn't a pet, Neomi. It's a wild animal," Rufus stated.

"I would name it bratwurst," Orga mentioned, bending his body at the knees to pet the happy piglet.

"Yeah, but she's a girl. So, sausage references don't exactly make sense unless she's gay." Neomi scratched the little pig behind the ears then sat her back on the ground. As soon as the boar hit the dirt, it went charging right back to Neomi's arms. The baby boar headbutted Neomi in the stomach for attention. "Come on, Bacon. You can't come with us. You have to stay here."

When the pig squealed back annoyed, Orga plucked it from the ground. "I don't see why." He held the pig inches from Rufus's face. "Really, just look at her. You really want to piss this thing off again?" Bacon huffed, fog coming out of her mouth.

"I don't, but really, where are we going to keep a boar because I sure as hell am not allowing that beast in my apartment?" Rufus informed, getting a sharp glare from the red eyed hog.

Cradling the pig against his chest, Orga ran his fingers through fur that was softer now that it was back in baby form. "If Rogue and Sting can have talking cats with wings, I don't see why we can't have a boar that transforms into a Demon Hog. Imagine all the things she can blow up."

Neomi plucked Bacon from Orga's grip, and the boar burrowed against her chest. "There is no _we _here. I should be the one to bring home the Bacon because I saved my Bacon."

Two hands face-palmed at Neomi's lame puns, but she just stuck her tongue out at them.

"Fine," Rufus gave in. "But, I have to ask just who's magic that was back there. I don't remember seeing anything like it before."

"What are you talking about? It was Neomi. You didn't see her do it?" Orga questioned, looking from the girl cuddling her Bacon and the Memory Mage.

Instead of looking like he knew what was going on, Rufus just adjusted his hat. The pink feathers that were adorned atop it shifted side to side like a shaking of his head. That was Rufus's nervous tell. When he didn't remember something, he toyed with the brim of his hat.

While Rufus was fidgeting, Orga noted that Neomi didn't look like she was sure of what had happened either. While those two might not have seen what had gone on, Orga had.

Neomi's shadow had grown. It had locked onto the boar to suck it down into that Hell Gate she'd created. If that was Neomi's magic, it was one that Orga had never heard of before. Not only had her shadow done all that mess, creating a magic circle beneath the boar to suck it down, but her skin had darkened. Lines had formed along the small bit of skin he could see between her skirt and thigh highs. Neomi's magic was astonishing. Possibly deadly.

Shaking his head at the Memory Mage and the girl with unnamed magic, Orga directed the group out of the woods. "Forget about it then. We're almost at the village."


	4. White Light

**Bada-bing bada-boom! I actually got up the desire to write this chapter. I haven't been in much of a fan fiction kind of mood here lately. Am thinking of leaving different series unfinished. But, that would be bad because you all wait for me to write. I can't let y'all down.**

* * *

White Light

The forest felt like it was going to go on forever as the group walked amongst thick foliage and fallen limbs. Neomi felt like her eyes had never seen so much greenery as she trudged through the masses. Thankfully, Bacon seemed to know her way. After Neomi's arms had gotten tired, and she'd started complaining that the group was lost—which they completely were—the piglet had hopped from its new mother's arms to sniff about. It had taken the group a second, but eventually, they had figured out that Bacon was trying to show them how to get out of here.

Bloodhounds had nothing on Bacon as the little, bespeckled hog sniffed around. Her fat body waddled this way and that as she led them. "Never thought I'd be asking a pig for directions," Orga commented when Bacon took them through what looked to be a shortcut in her destruction.

Neomi's red head dipped beneath a particularly jagged tree limb, and she had to bite her tongue when Rufus's hat got stabbed by a branch. The material came clean off his head before his eyes grew extremely wide. As he hustled back to retrieve his cover, a light broke at the end of the twisted grass and branch filled tunnel. When Bacon broke from the darkness and into the light, she bounced on her front hooves. Neomi could imagine that her expression meant, "Look at me. Am I not the smartest and cutest little pig you could ever meet?"

Leaning down to rub her ears, Neomi scooped Bacon right back up into her arms. "Who's a good girl? Bacon is a good girl," Neomi cooed to the little piggy.

"Yeah. Saved yourself from a visit to the frying pan, Bratwurst," Orga snickered, scratching Bacon under the chin. Even though the hog reveled in the praise, Neomi kicked the Green Giant in the shin. "What?" he laughed.

"A, there are to be no sausage jokes about my Bacon. B, you are not allowed to threaten her with frying pans," Neomi stated, throwing out the rules for how her baby boar was to be treated. "You can only call her Bratwurst when she's in her Demon Hog state."

"Sure. Sure. You're a bossy thing. You know that," Orga mentioned as they all walked down the hill and towards a small village that was barely anything more than a windmill with a couple buildings thrown up around it.

"Makes me remember our lady," Rufus added in now that he'd rescued his hat. He dusted it off after examining it for any holes or loose strings. Once it passed examination, he placed it right back atop his skull.

Smiling at his habits, Neomi looked towards the village. According to Rufus, there had once been a portal in this darkening sky. Now, there was nothing but stretched out stratus clouds reaching far across a sky turning from dark blue to hot pink.

Her eyes shifted downwards to where she got a good look at the village they were headed to. It was a small little thing at the bottom of this hill. Neomi did see a tiny windmill doing its hardest to spin in this major lack of a breeze. She saw a small store with the letters S-T-O hanging up on its front instead of all five. Everything looked along the lines of a more western United States scene to the typical design of anything Neomi had ever seen in the manga and anime. It was classic western right after a raging herd of cattle destroyed the town. Just looking at the obvious lack of care for the village got Neomi to press Bacon up closer to her face.

Against the animal's fur, she wondered, "Did they _forget _to give a damn about their village?"

"Looks about that way," Orga commented. His booted foot nudged some broken glass that had come from a window, and he looked at people mindlessly wandering the streets.

Some were walking on their hands and knees like babies. Others were on two legs, but they walked into doors like they had forgotten how to open them. Was that why those glass shards were in the streets? Did someone try to open a window but forgot how and fell out of it? The idea of it was ludicrous, likely weirder than Neomi believing that all of this was real.

"If everyone forgot who they were and how to do things, then how did anyone remember Sabertooth's name?" Orga wondered, looking to a highly bewildered and disturbed Rufus.

"A memo pad," he hissed, glaring at a sticky note where someone had written down their shopping list. "Atrocious creations made by the forgetful." His foot promptly kicked the note away like it was a dead rodent in the streets. Hideous.

Laughing at Rufus's annoyance, Neomi mentioned, "Maybe, those memo pads saved their lives. That could be how they remembered the guild's name." Her body bent to pick up another sticky note, and she blinked at the basic simplicity written on it.

Over her shoulder, Orga read, "Remember that your first born's name is Carter. Wait. Which one is my first born?" After shaking his head in bewilderment, Orga noticed the many sticky notes placed all over everything. They were on the ground. They were on the walls. They even covered up people's windows. "What the hell?" he breathed.

"I've walked into hell, a fiery pit of forgetfulness!" His entire body dropped to the ground as he clenched his skull between two hands. Memo pads and sticky notes flew around from the force of his body dropping to his knees. He looked like he was about to rear back and scream when someone came running up to them.

"Sabertooth! You must be the members of Sabertooth," a man hollered as he charged towards the group. Bacon squealed at the man's sudden appearance, burrowing her head shyly into Neomi's arm. When he came to a screeching halt in front of Neomi to clasp one of her hands into his, she was promptly kissed. "Oh, thank you for coming. Everyone's memories have been failing, and it's only been getting worse. We sent for Rufus. Which one of you would be him?"

Withdrawing her hand, Neomi cupped it right back under Bacon's warm fur. She gave the man a strange look before stating, "I'm not from Sabertooth. The one freaking out from all the memo pads and sticky notes is Rufus. And, that guy is the Green Giant. They're the Saber Teeth." Her head nodded towards the two men on either side of her.

"The Green…" The man gave pause before shrugging his shoulders. "No matter. Come! Come! Follow me. The longer we stay here, the higher our risk of forgetting ourselves becomes." Hastily, he grabbed Neomi by the arm and Rufus by the shoulder. Hauling the two mages with him, he charged off as fast as he could to a house covered in runes.

Neomi's legs charged hastily in front of her, and Bacon popped out from the other side of her arm to squeal at all the people walking about like zombies. It _was _a frightening sight. In between the many wooden buildings, people were dragging their feet across the ground. Some were just laying in the road like they didn't remember how to stand. It looked like someone had started playing the Harlem Shake but no one stopped seizing even after the song went off.

Their view was blocked off as soon as a wooden door slammed shut behind her body. Bacon's sharp squeal of surprise had the piglet dashing towards Neomi's neck. She was nearly sitting on the mage's shoulder when Neomi turned back to everyone around them.

Suddenly, she wasn't just looking at the zombies in the streets. Neomi was looking at the frightened survivors. This house had become a bunker where the villagers curled up inside of the main living room and front foyer. They were fully equipped with food, blankets, and lacrima that could send for help. What was going on here?

"Please, take a seat," the villager stated, pointing to a couch in front of the coffee table he sat atop.

Moving into place, Neomi and the Saber team sat promptly down. As soon as they were seated, Rufus asked, "What's happened here?" His eyes scanned around him. There was a fair amount of people stuck inside of this building. None of them looked happy to be here.

Elbows slipped down to rest inches from the man's knees. Once he was adjusted, the villager that had retrieved them explained, "My name is Carter first of all, but a few days ago, a portal opened up above our village. It blacked out the sun for hours and when the darkness passed, the sunlight returned. Flowers bloomed back with the sight of the sun, and everything seemed perfectly fine until people started to forget themselves. It had started gradually. People would forget to close the doors of their houses and forget the names of people they knew, but when it started to happen in mass, we knew something was wrong. We wrote reminders for everyone, and people wrote down everything they knew. Eventually, they forget what they'd written then how to write all together. Only those of us that were out of the village that day were safe. We returned at night, but as soon as the sun came back out, more people became forgetful. The portal had ruined our sun. We beg of you to destroy the sun!"

As soon as the request left the man's lips, Neomi bit down on her tongue. Laughter was bubbling in her throat as she immediately thought of Galuna Island. _The moon, the moon! Erza, take out the moon!_ She could have fallen over laughing.

Even though she was hanging onto that bit, she didn't ignore what he said about a portal. A few days. How long had Neomi been trapped in the portal, and had anyone seen a girl fall from the sky? Given how far Neomi had fallen, one of her girlfriends could have gotten seriously injured. Marina, Kelsey, Rylan. Where were they?

As Neomi was half pondering and half snickering at these villagers, Orga and Rufus just stared with blank expressions on their faces. "Destroy the what?" Orga asked, having to repeat their request

"You must destroy our sun! The portal ruined it, changed it. We can't live here without fear that we'll lose our memories. It's dangerous to leave the village in the day time. It must be the sun!" Carter barked out, standing up as if the stomping of his feet on the ground would make his confession sound less ridiculous.

It didn't work. Rufus shook his head then took his hat off. Resting it in his lap, he stated, "I remember that the sun makes life. If we destroyed it, we would destroy everything. That's a request Sabertooth cannot complete."

The man in front of them looked heartbroken. Blinking a couple of times, he sat himself back on the table. Hands clenched his skull, and he questioned, "Then, just what can you do? I can't leave the village like this. I lost my mother to this forgetfulness."

Neomi stretched her hand out to lay it across the man's hand. When he raised weary eyes at her, Neomi soothed, "Don't worry. We'll investigate. Likely, the sun isn't what's going on here. We just have to find what's really messing this place up. Kay?" She tossed him a warm smile that seemed to get the corners of his lips twitching.

"Yes. Of course, thank you, miss…"

"Neomi."

"Thank you, Neomi. Well, if that's decided then at least invite you all for dinner. We're having chicken penne pasta, a favorite among those in the village. I can remember that much," he breathed, looking heartbroken.

Rising before them, Carter directed the group towards a dining area where women were laying out plates, forks, spoons, and other dishware. Without a word about it, Neomi handed Bacon over to Orga before joining them. She turned into a happy housewife as the surprised villagers just let her go about helping set the table.

Neomi filled people's glasses with water, and she directed young children over to their own table. When all that was done, she set to carrying out the plates of food for waiting villagers. There wasn't even hesitation after Neomi was the last to sit.

Placing herself between Rufus and Orga, Neomi lifted a wooden fork up. When she realized the guys were giving her surprised glances, she asked, "What?"

"You didn't have to do that," Rufus stated, gesturing to the tables she'd set and the food she'd given out.

"No, I didn't. Did I?" Neomi cunningly replied, giving the boys a smooth curl of her lips before popping a bite of pasta into her mouth.

"Then, why did you?" Orga wondered. He pulled a large bite into his mouth. The look he was giving Neomi as he slowly chewed was one of slight confusion. The more they seemed weirded out by her kindness, the more Neomi was sure she'd fallen through the portal before the Grand Magic Games.

Hmm. She'd fallen through at such an important time in the Fairy Tail timeline if that was the case. Perhaps, if this wasn't some trippy hallucination, she was here for a purpose. Then, there was also the case of her mother's voice. "Come home," it had called, sounding almost happy.

Thoughtfully, she chewed. After downing a glass of water with her pasta, Neomi explained, "It was the right thing to do. These people are horrified. They're losing their minds and only have each other to hold onto. It makes sense to lend a helping hand, show that even strangers care."

The guys gave her a curious look before going back to their plates. They looked like they were doing some serious studying on themselves before a woman asked, "Is there any kind of information that we could give you to help with fixing this problem for us?"

As a matter of fact. There was. Before the guys could ask anything, Neomi asked, "Were any of you here when the portal opened?"

"No. All of us were gone when the portal opened. That's why we have memories."

"Ah. I see. So, all of this happens during the day? Is it safe at night?"

"Yes, actually. That's why we believe it's the sun's poisoning that's been harming our village."

Neomi nodded slowly. Just as she thought. This was similar to the issue on Galuna Island, but instead of demons not knowing they're demons, Neomi had villagers not knowing things they should know. Interesting.

"Do people begin to remember things during the night?"

That got her a few looks. "How did you know?"

"Just a guess, but that's what happens. Right? They remember stuff at night?"

Her response was a resounding nod from the patrons in the bunker. Hmm. Memory loss during the day. Memory gain during the night. Either these people were vampires who needed to stay out of the sun or something that happened during the day was the issue.

Neomi pondered just that as she finished up her meal. What could be harming the villagers during the daylight but not at night?

There was a myriad of suggestions. Flowers bloomed in the daylight. Pollen could be released in the air, but that wouldn't make sense if this was a recent occurrence. No. It had to be something more. Something new had to be here, and Neomi was really hoping it was one of her friends.

As soon as dinner was finished, and Neomi caught the surprising sight of Orga and Rufus helping clean up, she walked with Bacon towards the window. Outside the people were still wandering, but the sun was settling along the horizon.

Its warm glow glossed the wheat in the fields around the village, and Neomi could see a lazy breeze pushing sticky notes through the streets. Soon, people would be getting their memories. But, Neomi doubted that they would be fully functional. She would need to journey farther, to the sight of one of her friend's landings.

Neomi was positive that one of her girls had been the reason for this. She just hoped they were still where they landed. Even if it was just one of her girls, they could make a team to find each other.

Damn. They must be so scared. Kelsey had never even watched or read Fairy Tail. Neomi could just imagine how frightened she was. Then again, Kels was often afraid of her own shadow.

Marina and Rylan? They were pretty resilient girls, but Ry was likely freaking about not knowing where Neomi was. The two of them were stuck to each other like glue. Perhaps, Rylan could find Neomi with her voodoo doll though.

This was Fairy Tail. Neomi would just about bet money that Ry had some kind of Voodoo Priestess Magic or Dark Arts Magic. As for the other girls, she had no clue.

Marina was a big nature buff, and Kelsey loved Thor and Deadpool. She had both comics laid out around her when they'd gotten sucked up. Neomi wondered if that may have given Kels a magic. It was an interesting idea. One that Neomi would have loved to keep wondering on had Rufus not laid his hand on her shoulder.

"You have an idea?" he wondered, catching the draw of her brows.

"Sure do. We're going to have to do it when night falls," Neomi pointed out. Bacon snorted in agreement, and Neomi scratched her under the chin. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Not exactly. I've never come across such a situation. I would remember."

Neomi hopped onto the window seat then peered outside. There were a lot of wheat fields around here. This was definitely a farming community. Farms equaled vegetables. Vegetables needed sun. Neomi was almost positive their culprit was a plant. She just needed to be sure.

"Since no one was here when the portal opened, no one knows the exact location," Orga intoned, his deep voice popping up out of nowhere.

Despite the sudden baritone interruption on her thoughts, Neomi didn't jump. If anything, she just narrowed her eyes. For some reason, she felt like she could find the portal. There was a slight charge in the air that she hadn't felt in the city they'd been in.

Ever since they'd left the forest, she felt the charge getting stronger and stronger like some kind of lure drawing her. If Orga was right and she had opened up that creepy demon arm rift earlier, maybe her magic was connected to the portals.

When the final hours passed and the survivors explained that it was safe to go out, Neomi decided that she was about to find out.

* * *

The strange girl had been quiet ever since leaving the survivor's house. Her brows were drawn, and her lips were pursed. Orga would have thought the expression was adorable had she not been walking like a dog on a trail.

Neomi's hands were clenched, and she even sniffed the air. Every now and then, she would completely break off to run a certain direction. Putting her hands out in front of herself, she acted like an insect searching with its antennae. He may not know her magic, but he was pretty sure she was connected to those portals.

"We're getting closer," Neomi explained. She pressed her fist up to the side of her face then darted those big eyes around in her skull. "I think… that I can…" Neomi took one more step.

They were up to their waists in a wheat field. Neomi had almost instinctively ran straight out to the fields once they'd left the house.

Hands clenched on either side of her body, and she let out a huff. "How do you use magic?"

"Huh?" was Orga's wondrously informative response.

Smiling, Rufus adjusted his masquerade mask. "I remember first pulling my magic with strong emotion, but to pull it at will, it helps to be perfectly calm, patient, and focused. You'll feel it inside of you like a font waiting to be tapped."

"Why am I getting Naruto flashbacks?" Neomi sighed. She shifted around then leaned her shoulder against a lone tree. "So, sensei, I just focus?"

"It doesn't hurt to try," Rufus suggested.

"That's not how I do it," Orga commented, interested in this certain topic.

Dark green and cerulean blue eyes shifted in his direction. Taking that as his cue, Orga explained, "You can harvest magical power through strong emotion. Determination and a will to defeat my opponent is how I draw it out. Everyone has their own way. Drawing through emotion is often more destructive and volatile. Also, the direction of your emotion chooses the result of your magic."

Slowly, Neomi nodded, absorbing the information behind her little freckled face. "But, I'm currently cool as a cucumber. There ain't any reason for me to be angry or determined."

"Then, try my approach," Rufus suggested.

A determined nod was her reaction. Neomi leaned her body back against a tree then closed her eyes. Her expression was calm but focused. A thin line was growing on her forehead as she drew her orange-red brows together.

Two slender palms slipped out on either side of her body, and she kept them open like the was trying to either conjure or absorb magic within them.

Amazingly, it began to work. Much like how Orga had seen it happen before, Neomi's shadow lengthened around her body. It pulled out long, reaching towards Orga's and Rufus's shadows.

He was about to step back in hopes that it wouldn't attack him as it had Bacon earlier today until the shadow split. Four feminine shadows pulled on either side of her. A black band formed to connect each shadow at the skull. When they were all linked, those silhouettes changed. They altered to become four shafts of darkness.

Dark, curling lengths spread out from her feet. Orga and Rufus watched in amazement as the darkness turned to white light. Instead of demonic arms stretching to to snatch her up and drag her to hell, curling ivory vines stretched. They wrapped around Neomi's wrists and ankles.

She looked like a puppet being led by the white, magic circle that had formed at her feet as she was walked around.

"I don't remember a magic like this," Rufus breathed.

"I've never seen the likes of it myself," Orga mentioned, following Neomi warily.

Like a girl possessed, Neomi walked them to where a crop circle had been made in the wheat. She looked like she was about to say, "Beam me up, Scotty," when her hands raised over her head.

The white lights pouring from her body were otherworldly, and when she opened her eyes, they were completely white. They even glowed. Neomi appeared almost alien as she parted her pink lips. As soon as her mouth opened, a white ball of light formed in front of her lips.

"Oh, shit!" Orga proclaimed.

Hastily, he tackled an awestruck Rufus to the ground. Rufus was about to protest until a freaking laser beam cut through the same spot he'd been standing at.

The beam arced out from Neomi's parted lips before crashing into a hillside where flowers were sleeping peacefully. Her blast destroyed each flower, and when her light vanished for Neomi to drop lifelessly to the ground, there was nothing to remain of the entire side of the hill.

Darting underneath Orga's arm, Rufus charged towards Neomi. He wrapped one arm under her limp form and called out her name while Orga blinked at the crater she'd stabbed inside of the hill. What. The. Hell.

How did she do that? Why did she do that? Had it even been intentional?

He wasn't able to worry much about it because of Rufus's frantic calling out her name. Groaning at the explanation they were going to have to make for the trashed hill, he turned to lope towards Rufus and Neomi.

"Neomi? Neomi, are you okay? Neomi?" Rufus called out. He cradled Neomi with one arm and held the side of her face with the other.

As soon as Orga caught drool running down her cheek, he explained, "She fell asleep."

"She fell a-what?"

"She's asleep." Orga pointed to the mouth hanging wide open. "Look. Dead to the world."

"You have to be kidding me," Rufus breathed. He leaned back to look up at Orga.

He simply shrugged. "That blast probably took a lot out of her. She has a ton of magical energy but dumps all of it out whenever she uses it. I wonder if there's anyone in the guild who could explain what kind of magic she has."

Lifting Neomi into his arms, Rufus rose. "I wouldn't be surprised if Jiemma or Minerva knew something about it."

"Humph. You really want to bring her to the guild? It's bad enough that we have to babysit her until she figures out how to control her magic. When they find out her abilities and their potential, they'll want her in the guild. She'd be a boon during the Games. You know Fairy Tail got their key members back. Even though those losers won't be able to defeat us, they might pose a threat with Natsu and Gajeel back. Even that Laxus guy might be a pain in our hide if he's as good as the rumors always said he was."

Rufus's answer was a short nod. "Still, we could ask."

"And, run the risk? No. We'd need to go somewhere away from them if we didn't want her to join. They would force her to."

"You're not wrong. Anyway, we should put her to bed then return to our research. I suspect Neomi almost located the portal before she tried to find it with her magic."


	5. Hazard

**Sadly, this is the shortest chapter I have at the moment. My cliff hanger came a little sooner than I thought that it would. Oh, well. I do hope that you enjoy it all. Sorry if any of my stories aren't being updated as fast as normal. Summer school and my new job are keeping me busy.**

* * *

Hazard

The sound of cheering was what got Neomi's eyes cracking open the next morning. Red hair was spread across her face like auburn cobwebs, and when she parted her lips, a few choice strands slipped into her mouth. Curling her lip, Neomi stuck her long, pink tongue out. Her nails scraped across her tongue before drawing a red strand of hair away.

"Delicious," she grumbled.

Raising her hand to her head, Neomi took entire tufts of her chaotic bedhead out of the way. As she scratched the top of her head, she checked out the room she was in.

Her body had been lain down on a mattress without a bed frame to hold it up. A single blanket was over her, and it pooled at her waist. As she checked out the bed, her eyes caught sight of a damaged, wooden floor in major need of repair. Also, there were a few holes punched through the wall to flaunt the wooden studs. Immediately, Neomi got it. The guys had brought her back to the little refugee home.

A snorting caught Neomi's attention, and she blinked in the direction of Bacon. The brown and white hog gave a shiver before unveiling a face covered by blankets. "Mornin', Bacon," Neomi greeted.

The boar snorted once more then hopped into Neomi's lap. Promptly, it burrowed into her covered legs.

"So those D bags just left me, eh?" Neomi mentioned to herself. She was about to get angry when something hit her bodily. "Oh! Gotta pee!"

Leaping up from the bed, Neomi barely registered Bacon's huff of complaint before she bopped through the bedroom door. Out here, the cheering was even louder. Neomi thought she heard… a reunion…

Silently, she stalked her way to the bathroom. The entire time she searched for the toilet, Neomi eavesdropped on the sounds in the living room.

"We're saved!"

"Oh, thank you, Sabertooth! Thank you!"

"My memories are back!"

"I can remember!"

Slender hands wrapped around a golden door knob, and Neomi slipped into the bathroom. Even in here, she could hear people thanking Orga and Rufus. They were sucking up all the praise while Neomi was wondering just what had even happened last night.

She remembered chatting with Rufus and Orga about how to commandeer her magical power but after that… Nothing.

It was like she'd been mind swiped of the rest of the night. They'd finished the job without her. _Humph! Rude asses._

Finishing up in the bathroom, Neomi flushed the toilet and set to washing her hands. She was getting ready to withdraw a hairbrush and tame the red demon sitting on top of her head until Rufus opened up the bathroom door.

"N-Neomi!" he greeted, flushing at catching someone in the bathroom.

For some instinctive reason, Neomi's eyes dropped to make sure her fly was zipped. As soon as she checked her waistline she realized someone had changed her into a pair of black yoga pants and a work out tank.

"Morning, Rufus," she greeted cheerfully, even though she wanted to throttle him for dumping her in the refuge house. Did they get attacked? Did they knock her out just to get rid of her? Neomi knew that she wasn't exactly wanted here and now, but _sheesh _that would be a low blow.

Neomi leaned over to snag her leather rucksack. She withdrew her hairbrush, toothpaste, and toothbrush. Wetting her toothbrush and putting the paste down on it, Neomi popped the item in her mouth. "So, you gotta pee or what?" she asked, not bothering to move from the bathroom.

"I-uh-er…" Rufus ran a hand through his blonde hair, and Neomi blatantly checked him out.

He was wearing sleep clothes. A plain, white V-neck covered his chest, and he sported some red sleep shorts. Neomi would give his choice of sleeping attire a… seven out of ten. She liked her guys in boxers with little puppy dogs or something else embarrassing on them.

When he caught her plainly looking him from his bare feet to his unmasked face, his red cheeks only burned brighter. The stuttering got worse.

Spitting her toothpaste out, Neomi quoted the wise words of Adam Sandler, "T-t-t-today, Junior."

Coughing into his hand to regain some amount of composure, Rufus stated, "I was looking for you and had no clue this was a bathroom. Orga suggested I look in this room."

"He would," Neomi snickered, flashing minty fresh teeth. "Well, here I am. So, what's up?"

"Our mission is over. Last night you got rid of the Forget-Me Flowers that had started to bloom unnaturally after the portal opening," he explained. His eyes looked almost enviously towards the brush going through Neomi's hair. Catching his eyes, Neomi withdrew a brush she had yet to break in. She tossed it at him. "Thank you. You would not believe the tangles I get first thing in the morning."

"Oh, yeah, I would. This is a rat's nest first thing in the morning." Neomi pointed towards a massive tuft of auburn poofing out from the side of her head.

"Do you condition?"

"At night then brush it before bed, but thanks to a certain two brutes I wasn't able to," Neomi smarted back, narrowing her eyes on Rufus's dark green orbs.

He almost looked embarrassed, cutting his eyes towards the mirror where the two of them were trying to get their hair to a functional state. They almost looked like a couple doing their morning routine.

Neomi set to braiding hers, and Rufus was working a knot out of his golden locks. All they needed was a "Good morning, Honey" and some coffee brewing in the room over.

Rufus finally worked the knots out of his hair then flipped it over one shoulder to work on the other side. "So, you remember nothing of last night?" he wondered, narrowing his eyes just the least bit.

The gaze was so pinning, so analytical that Neomi took a second to reply. "Not a thing. Well, I remember you trying to get me to harness my magic. Then, I guess I must have blacked out."

Once she was finished with her hair, Neomi withdrew a cosmetics bag. She applied a thin layer of foundation then concealer on that stubborn red mark she'd found on her when she'd woken up. When the basics were done, Neomi swiped her lashes with mascara, lined them in a black cat flare, and then set to putting on cherry chapstick.

Rufus shifted his bag off his shoulder then drew off his shirt. The two of them were getting ready side by side as if they'd known each other forever. The last thing that Neomi would have figured she would be doing while dumped in the Fairy Tail universe was getting ready with Rufus Lore. It was just so… domestic.

"You did black out," Rufus explained while doing the buttons on his white shirt. "We're not sure why, but Orga believes it's because you drew out all your power then tossed it in laser beam form towards the hillside where the Forget-Mes were blooming."

"Uh-huh." Neomi clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. She tossed her cosmetics bag into the leather one before throwing it on her shoulder. "So, what's next?"

Rufus flattened his shirt's collar then responded, "Ask Orga. I would assume us to head back to the guild, but we aren't sure about you meeting Jiemma or Minerva."

"Ah. Yes, you think they'd want to recruit me against my will?"

Neomi knew all about the two of them. She was just barely skimming the surface of the Tartaros Arc in the Fairy Tail storyline, so she knew Minerva's role in the guild. Neomi just questioned whether her and her girlfriends' presences would upset the worldly balance. How were things going to change with all of them here?

Looking surprised at her assumption, Rufus brought Neomi from Neomi's Mind Theatre. "You've heard their reputation?"

"Oh, yeah. Jiemma only recruits the best, and Minerva has the same power obsession. Big egos in that family. It amazes me that Yukino is even a part of that guild. Her personality seems better suited to Fairy Tail or Mermaid Heel."

Shifting in his spot, Rufus turned his body fully towards Neomi. He was measuring her up and down, trying to figure out how she knew all this information. She knew what he was going to ask her before he even asked, so she cut him off. "I know a lot more about Sabertooth and the Grand Magic Games than any of you do. Like I said before, where I'm from, you are all just a fantasy world. I don't get how I was even sucked inside of here in the first place. Ouija Board had to have been cursed or something."

Rufus opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, but Neomi was already walking down the hall. There were a few things on her mind.

If she was really here, which she felt like she actually was starting to believe, she was here for a reason. Neomi knew these kinds of movies. She had to be important or a supporting character to someone important. Given everyone's backgrounds, Neomi would assume for Rylan to be the main character.

She had the right background: lived in a spooky city filled with ghosts, both her parents were dead, raised by her grandmother, and had a history with voodoo. When Neomi had found out that Rylan's parents had been shot, her immediate response had been to proclaim, "You're halfway to being Batman. All you have to do now is get rich." Yes, Rylan surely had all the vitals to being a main character, but which one of the girls was her Robin?

Neomi would have to think she was the Robin. Rylan had taken Neomi under her wing, taught her the strange things in her family heritage. So, if Rylan was Batman and Neomi was Robin that would mean Marina was Night Wing and Kelsey was… Batgirl? Sure, why not? There was the minor issue that Kelsey preferred Marvel over DC, but that was beside the point.

If they were all supporting characters to Rylan, Neomi had to do her Robin thing and assemble everyone. They needed to get back to Rylan as soon as possible.

Neomi was trying to figure out just how she was going to start her search for her comrades when her face slammed into a broad chest. Hands flung up at the same time that she was thrown backwards, and Orga caught her tiny shoulders.

"Watch where you're going, Vagabond," Orga greeted.

Blinking up at him, Neomi took a second to get all of her jumble up brain back in proper alignment. Once her chess pieces were back in a row, she didn't even bother apologizing. "I would, but you take up too much hallway space, Green Giant. Didn't your mother ever explain to you that there's no such thing as being big boned?"

"You calling me fat?"

"I ain't calling you skinny."

The two of them glared at each other, but it had more effect on Orga's side. He was taller, bigger, and broader. Neomi was a five foot and five inch tall redhead with more sass than actual bite.

They took a good ten seconds of glaring each other down before Orga cracked a grin. His massive palm smacked down on her freshly combed hair, and he mussed it up as if he knew she'd just gotten done fixing it. "Good job on the flowers last night," he complimented.

Neomi raised her auburn brows. She studied him for a few moments then stated, "You're being serious. I did something right?"

"For once. Yeah, I know. I was surprised, too. But, thanks to you we got a bonus on the payment."

"A bonus that you'll be giving to me because you and Rufus really didn't do jack squat, and I pulled all the dead weight like the badass mercenary I am." She flipped her mussed hair out of her face then flashed a wink. "Right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't push your luck, Vagabond. With me and Rufus taking care of you, any missions you help us out with will be seen as rent for our babysitting services," he explained in a no-nonsense tone.

_Uh-huh. We'll see about that, Green Giant. Time to bring out the big guns._ Neomi adjusted the strap on her shoulder then inhaled deeply. Her tactic worked. His eyes followed the rise and fall of her chest. Drawing a lock of auburn hair to twist thoughtlessly around her finger, Neomi pulled it to her pouty lips. "Well, that's a real shame. I know there's the problem of my staying with someone. I was just thinking that if you boys gave me a cut for the work I did, I could get my own place for me and Bacon."

Keeping up her wiles, Neomi flipped the hair over her shoulder. The movement got her low cut tank to slip down her chest. "Oh, well. I suppose I'll just have to bunk with Rufus as we'd planned." Neomi took a step away, adding a little more sway to her stride.

When a hand clamped over her shoulder, Neomi thanked the textile gods for tight fitting sports wear. "Fine," he exhaled. "I'll give you your cut, but you aren't living on your own."

"Why's that?"

"You'll probably blow something up is why! You can't control your magic. You're a hazard."

Hazard! He thought she was a hazard! Oh, that stupid—

Growling, Neomi tore away from Orga's grip then stomped towards the beat up bedroom she'd slept in. She'd show him a hazard as soon as she got her powers in check. Lightning bolt to the face? Ha! Try a… a… Neomi paused as she realized something.

She had no clue what kind of magic she had in the first place!

With a grimace on her face, Neomi jerked her clothes on as Bacon looked on in confusion. The pig darted off when Neomi slammed her foot into a pair of pinstriped pants. The boar apparently couldn't grasp Neomi's aggravation.

Scooping Bacon right up after she'd finished dressing, Neomi hauled her bag over her shoulder then tramped out the door. A hazard. Neomi was a hazard. She should be wrapped up with yellow caution tape then have someone put a traffic cone on her head. Danger! Hazardous redhead! Expect big freaking explosions ahead.

Humph! Neomi would like to see Orga dropped in an alternate universe where she had no friends, no money, and no way of escape. See how snarky he was then.

It wasn't like he'd been sucked through a portal then heard the haunting voice of his dead mother calling, "Come home, Neomi."

Just thinking about that got goosebumps rising on her skin. Bacon rubbed her face against Neomi's, and Neomi tried to filter through all her functions. With a few encouraging licks from Bacon, she finally found the dial setting on her brain that she was looking for: calm.

Keeping that setting close but not on, Neomi met Orga and Rufus outside of the refugee house.

* * *

_Ten Hours Later_

_About a Mile from Sabertooth_

The Vagabond was upset with him. Orga could tell that even as they entered the town Sabertooth resided within. She was a fiery thing. All spitfire and sass. Orga had gotten to be on the front of that attitude the entire length of the journey, and at the moment he was glad he wasn't going to be the one living with her.

He'd meant what he'd said. She was a hazard. She was a danger as long as she couldn't control herself. She would be until she could harness her own power—that and figure out what her magical power was in the first place.

The more he saw of her power, the less of it he understood. Rufus felt the same way. The two of them had been bashing skulls on how to ask Jiemma and Minerva about her magic without letting their master see the girl and without letting them assume they had a powerful mage in their keeping. The more they studied it, the more they felt as if just letting them see Neomi would get them the information they needed.

Orga tossed his eyes towards Neomi. Her lips were pursed, and her eyes were studious. She was taking in the details of their town as if she was making a map of every road in her head.

In a few moments, they would be near the guild. Would Neomi want to go in there? Would it even be a good idea to let her in there?

She was a hazard. She could destroy the guild if she wasn't careful, but… it wasn't like there weren't powerful mages to hold her back if her magic did go wonky.

"You're going to Sabertooth," Orga determined, getting Rufus's jaw to come unhinged.

Neomi on the other hand just jerked her head towards him. "Why the sudden change?"

"Jiemma and Minerva know everything about the guild and the mages inside of it. There's no way we could even keep you a secret. They don't let us keep secrets, and we'd be better off just showing you to them instead of them finding out about you." When Rufus looked ready to protest, Orga added, "The punishment would be worse if they knew we were keeping something from them."

"I can handle myself even if I am a hazard," Neomi snarled.

"Good to know, but do you think you can take down one of us to even get in when they bring you down to it?"

"Hazard, remember? I'll go buy some Caution tape to wear like a scarf if you need me to."

Orga tried to hold back his grin at the snarky female. Turning a corner in the road, Orga flaunted the front of the Sabertooth Guild. "Might not be a bad idea," he commented.

Rolling her eyes, Neomi took in the building she'd been lead to. She might as well have assumed that she was going to meet Jiemma and Minerva in the face, but it didn't prepare her for this sight.

Sabertooth was massive. Yeah, it wasn't like that was too big of a surprise given that it was one of the largest guilds around and with some of the strongest mages. They were bound to have money, but Neomi hadn't expected it to look like some kind of royal fortress.

Four massive turrets were placed on either corner of the heavy, stone building. The entire front facade was styled like early gothic architecture, all pointed arches and stained glass. A large rose window was placed in the center where Neomi was sure colored light would filter directly on the throne the Saber Master sat atop. Tall spires loomed high overhead and cast long shadows.

If they were going for an intimidation factor, they'd hit it right on the head—especially with the overgrown sabercats that appeared to leap from their stone pedestals and towards mages entering the guild.

Despite it all, Neomi popped her shoulders back and her chin up. She strode proudly, trying to keep from appearing like an uncontrolled hazard with no knowledge of her own magic.

When she reached the oversized front doors, Orga and Rufus opened them up for her like she was some soldier headed to death row.

Flipping her hair off her shoulder, Neomi approached, and what she walked into was no surprise at all. All eyes turned to her. Some were cold; others were curious. A few even gleamed with a dark intent within them. Yes, this wasn't Sabertooth post-Sting. This was pre-Sting Sabertooth, when the guild was in its power loving purity.

Neomi didn't let it get to her. As a matter of fact, she had gone through worse. This was nothing compared to her initiation into her sorority. Before she'd met Kelsey, her sorority had been tough. She'd gone through the hazing, the teasing, and the bullying. Neomi earned her right to be called a bad ass bitch. She wasn't going to let some imaginary comic book characters strip her of such a title.

Neomi walked with Orga on her left and Rufus on her right. As she checked out the dark stone and elaborate carvings, Neomi noted a few choice faces. Minerva was grinning from a table. She watched Neomi like a hawk who'd found fresh prey. Yukino was sitting between Sting and Rogue. The gentle eyed girl was smiling politely, quaintly. There was a stark contrast of good and evil between Yukino and Minerva's eyes.

Then, Neomi locked gazes with Jiemma. He was a stone cold beast sitting before her. Tight lipped and hooded eyed, he watched every step Neomi took. "And, you are?" he asked, unimpressed.

"Neomi Sumer. Your reputation precedes you, Jiemma. You ooze hostility and pestilence." Neomi took a step brazenly towards Jiemma. Gasps abounded all around her, but Neomi kept up her taunt. She could deal with hostile sorority bitches. Neomi figured she could take one overgrown, manga bad guy.

Rufus looked like he was going to caution her, but Orga cut him off with a look.

Grinning, Neomi took in Jiemma's thick beard. There was hardly any way to decipher any emotion given the thick mass covering up his face, but Neomi knew somewhere deep inside, she'd either gotten him to crack a grin or be amazed by her audacity.

"You have a lot of nerve, Neomi Sumer. What's your business here? Do you think you're good enough to be one of my men?"

"That's not the reason I'm here, but…" Neomi took a second to peruse the mismatched mages that called themselves Sabertooth. Neomi had never been a big fan of Sting, found him to be a blonde Natsu, and Rogue was like a powerful, male version of Levy in her eyes. Yukino was a badass version of Lucy. Minerva and Jiemma? They were typical bad guys. Arrogant, power obsessed. The type to die on their journey to ultimate strength. "Taking a look at your _men_, I would say I'm plenty good enough."

Bacon gave a snort as if she were concerned for Neomi's well-being, but the redhead didn't stand down—not even when Jiemma towered over her. "You have a lot of nerve, girl. I'll make a deal with you then, if you can defeat one of my mages then I'll permit you not only the name Sabertooth but the ability to find what you came here for."

"And, if you don't have what I'm looking for?"

"Then, I will make it a mission to find it."

Ah, so he liked Neomi's cocky approach? Go figure. Neomi knew he would either feel threatened or endeared. Good to see that she'd gone the right way.

"Then, let's get it going," she challenged. "We'll see what a hazard I can be."


	6. Friends to Fiends

**And, keeping on with our presently darker theme, I hope I give you guys a little surprise with just who her opponent is. I went through a whole lot of characters to decide on just who would be the best opponent for her, and I hope you agree with me. The chapter would be longer, but I just bought a new book and I'm like half asleep writing this stuff at the moment. Enjoy!**

**NOTICE! Mention of rape in this chapter. Not the act itself but a mentioning of it.**

* * *

Friends to Fiends

Orga might as well have face palmed. He'd known Neomi was reckless, but he didn't think that she was stupid, too. But, she was, and as she stood there with her hands on her hips and her chin jutted up in the air, he knew she'd surprised Jiemma, Minerva, and the rest of the Sabertooth guild.

They were stunned silent. As Jiemma stepped through the guild to check out the members, whispers were low in the guild.

"Who the hell does she think she is?"

"Better question. What was she doing with Rufus and Orga?"

"If they picked her up surely she's got something to back up that attitude."

"I would hope so. Else, Jiemma is going to gobble her up."

Orga shifted his eyes to Rufus. The man gave him a disappointed downward tip of his hat then slipped to a wall. Following his lead, Orga propped a single, booted foot up on the wall.

Neomi was being reckless, but she was a different kind of girl. Perhaps, she did have something up her sleeve. Or, maybe, she was hoping this was all still a dream and when someone kicked her ass that she'd wake up back where she'd come from. Judging from the few days he'd been around her, that was the most likely answer.

A long shadow crossed over his form, and Orga glanced upwards to the thickly bearded and beady eyed Jiemma. He'd known the man longer than most of the other members of the guild. Jiemma believed in one thing, and that thing was power.

Orga wouldn't be surprised if Jiemma asked him to take out Neomi—especially since Orga was one of the two who had brought her in.

When their dark eyes met, the slight furrowing of Jiemma's brows answered Orga. He wasn't going to be the one to go up against Neomi. Well, who did that leave?

* * *

As Jiemma sauntered around the guild like a giant bear, Neomi tried to keep from chewing on her bottom lip. She had a plan for getting her information, and that plan involved not losing this fight. Neomi had seen Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and as of currently she felt similar to the main character in that story.

Dropped in a strange place with strange people and an even stranger way of life.

As if to give her a little encouragement, Bacon bumped her forehead against Neomi's calf. Well, if the pig believed in her, then surely she could do it. Animals did tend to understand things than people did. Right?

"Kelsey!" Jiemma snapped, causing Neomi's brows to rise almost clean up to her hairline.

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Did he just say Kelsey? As in K to the E to the L to the S to the other E and finally to the Y?

Taking a hesitant and disbelieving step forward, Neomi watched as the impossibly silent room grow even quieter. Bodies moved like someone was parting the Red Sea, and when a line was cleared to reveal a feminine form, all Neomi could take in was a figure far too much like one of the three she was looking for.

Even silhouetted in the darkness, Neomi knew who she was looking at. Kelsey was tall and had a pear shaped figure. Strong thighs and wide hips were Kelsey's calling card, and when the shadows ran across her pale skin to reveal a blonde haired and brown eyed warrioress, Neomi could have fallen to her knees.

Kelsey. She was… Well, different wouldn't even begin to describe it. Skin that had once been so flawless she was envied for it was flawless no more. A scar ran down her pouty lips. Another one cut across her cheek. The girl who screamed Bloody Murder when a cat hissed at her from a dark alley was sporting twin katanas on her back. A pair of pistol were strapped off her hips.

Powder pink and cream had been replaced by bloodred and ebony. Wearing black leather pants and a red and black top resemblant of Deadpool's costume, Kelsey stood with her shoulders back and her chin up. She had on heavy boots that clacked hard against the stone floor with authoritative steps.

"K-Kelsey," Neomi breathed, taking a quick step forward. The instant she moved, a bolt of crimson electricity ejected from a drawn katana. "Kels?" Neomi wondered, tilting her head to take in the cold look that hadn't been there before the portal opened.

Why did she look so… angry?

"Not all of us got to be babysitted when we got sent her, Neomi," Kelsey stated, her usually warm and cheery voice a cold sound that chilled Neomi from her eardrums to her soul.

"What are you talking about?" Neomi asked, taking another step only to stand still when another bolt of red lightning slammed home to the stone. It left scorch marks and a threat in its wake. She wasn't playing around. Kelsey was… She was pissed.

But, why?

When a cruel smirk slid up the usually warm woman's face, Kelsey asked, "Dear Neomi, when your little scare prank went too far, did you ever suspect that I would fall into the arms of a dark guild? Did you ever suspect that when men found me laid out unconscious on the cold ground that they would drag me back to their lair, using me like a blow up doll?" She took a step forward to punctuate her words. Tilting her head, she asked, "Did you?"

"K-Kelsey, I-I never... It wasn't a prank. I don't even know what was going on," Neomi stammered taking a step back when this new colder, harder version of Kelsey stepped closer to her.

There was no way. This was the Fairy Tail universe. People didn't get raped here. This was just a graphic novel kind of world. It wasn't real life. They couldn't get hurt like that here. Not here!

This was manga not Marvel or DC comics!

Kelsey's lips quirked as if she could read the thoughts racing through Neomi's mind. "I was a coward when they took me, Neomi, but your little game did teach me something." She paused as if waiting for Neomi to make a sound. After a second, she added, "I was weak. Minerva found me, saved me, and brought me back here. I was still a coward then, wondering just how in the world could my friends have let this happen to me. I was good to them. I was sweet to them. We did everything together. Why would this happen to me?"

"Kelsey, it's not like I asked for any of this to—"

"Jiemma, may we begin?" Kelsey snarled, turning her head towards the intrigued guild master. He was likely surprised the two of them were so familiar with each other.

It made sense. Kelsey and Neomi no longer looked like the kind of girl who would work side by side with each other. She was cold. Neomi was confused.

"Start!" Jiemma boomed, his voice echoing in this stone building like an anvil's drop.

As soon as the word left his mouth, Kelsey was upon her. With mere inches between them, Kelsey mentioned, "You're a freak, Neomi. You should have never came to our world!" Her body twisted, and an electrified katana slung her way.

Hastily, Neomi dropped. Fear was a cold hand around her heart as she gasped at the savagery within her friend's eyes. Freak? Come to our world? What was Kelsey talking about?

A bolt of electric red light slammed mere inches from Neomi's face, and she quickly rolled away from it. Her breaths came short and fast. Every time she rolled away from the dive of a katana, she merely missed it by an inch. Did Kelsey want to kill her? It damn sure looked that way!

"You should have never come to the real world, Neomi! You belong here with your whore mother!" Kelsey screeched, slamming both her swords down on either side of Neomi's face. Electricity crackled just centimeters from her. She could feel it causing her hair to stand on end when Kelsey leaned to whisper, "I know everything about you."

Neomi was positive this evil version of Kelsey was playing with her, but Neomi wasn't going to have it. Shaking her head hard, Neomi stated the only thing she knew was the truth. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Rearing back, Neomi pulled her knees in. Kelsey didn't expect it when Neomi's knees propelled her across the top of her, but Neomi took her former friend's moment of distraction to counter.

Using Orga's advice of letting her emotions call magic to the fore, Neomi held her anger tight within her palm. She concentrated it in her hand, watching her shadow stretch out to slither like a snake towards Kelsey. As soon as their shadows connected, Neomi clenched her hand in a fist. The act caused demonic arms to stretch forth from the shadows and grip Kelsey.

They grabbed her by her hair. They snatched her shoulders, the collar of her low cut vest, and the belt holding two pistols at her hips.

"What do you know about me?" Neomi hissed when her hand was tugged at the same time that Kelsey writhed against the arms pulling from her magical hold. When she pulled on an arm, Neomi could feel it. Left and right her arm jerked. Well, if that was the case…

Tightening her fist, Neomi made a motion like she was grabbing Kelsey and flung her across the room. Shadows swathed her arm, and Neomi snatched up one of the other woman's katanas before she could reach it. Neomi's shadows were fast. They were quicker than Kelsey's new lightning fast reflexes.

"I know everything!" she howled when Neomi threw her katana at her. The force of Neomi's thrust caused the weapon to sink into the stone. "You're not human! You never were!"

Kelsey twisted her arm in the hold of Neomi's shadows. Wrenching the blade from between the stone, Kelsey writhed until she was free of the shadow's grips.

All around them the guild watched in grim fascination. Neomi could only wonder the thoughts going through their heads. How did they know each other? What was with these girls? Why did the blonde one hate the red haired one?

Neomi was distracted from her thoughts when Kelsey fired electricity straight into her. The electricity fired all around her, but it didn't harm her. As a matter of fact, the shadowy arms held it. They kept up the electrical charge. If that was how the game was to be played, Neomi roared, "Back at you, bitch! Black Vengeance!"

Concentrating the shadows around her, Neomi launched them towards a surprised Kelsey. Electrified flares erupted in a wash of darkness and crimson as Kelsey got lit up in her own attack. Her scream echoed loudly in the room, but Neomi didn't let up.

Her boots squealed against the floor as she charged towards her former friend current fiend. In a swath of black, Neomi gripped Kelsey's shoulders. "What do you know?" she roared at the other girl.

"You're a coward, worse than me!" Kelsey barked. Her head whipped forward, snapping Neomi's nose. Blood gushed before Kelsey delivered a punishing blow to Neomi's abdomen. Spit flung from reddened lips as Neomi's body skidded across the floor.

That second of failure was enough to let Kelsey snatch back up her katanas. As soon as her gloved hands touched them, they lit back up with that bright red lightning.

Neomi let her hands flatten out on the stone behind her when she got a sudden idea. Those hands had teleported them into this universe. Could they…

The shadowy arms reached out right as Kelsey came for a killing blow. They snatched Neomi up and sunk her deep into darkness. She had no clue where she'd even gone until her body erupted from the exact spot that had been in her mind. Still laying on her front, Neomi's body reappeared on the ceiling. The shadowy arms released her to drop Neomi down on a wooden rafter.

Her legs almost flailed out beneath her, but she had no time to fall because Kelsey used her red lightning to propel her onto the rafters.

So much rage and hatred filled her old friend's eyes. Neomi had no idea that Kelsey had been damaged, violated in such a way. She didn't think things like that happened. Not in this world. It just didn't seem like it would.

But, Neomi knew what assumed spelt. Make an ass out of u and me. Those words were never more true as Neomi stared at one of her former best friends. She was having to look at Kels like she was an enemy, a beast to be put down.

Darting a quick glance towards the stone, Neomi checked to where Orga, Rufus, and Bacon had pulled from the wall. They stared at her with wide eyes and gaping mouths, but Neomi was less concerned with their expressions and more concerned with this height.

The guild was tall. If she fell, would she be able to survive that fall?

Not able to think on it much, Neomi was nearly blown away by Kelsey's lightning.

Scrambling away from the blow, Neomi's ass was just about fried off. "Why do you hate me?" Neomi cried out. Her nails sunk into the rafter as she forced her quivering legs to stand. As soon as she was up, she found Kelsey's face right back to being held mere inches in front of hers.

They were separated by a thin veil of darkness.

"Because I know what you are," her former ally spat, flecks of moisture dancing across Neomi's skin. Sweat was rolling off their bodies. The saliva Kelsey slung across Neomi's flesh mingled with the river of salty moisture to trail down her throat, the spot Kelsey was eyeing with intrigue.

Still unable to comprehend such rage, Neomi did the only thing that made sense at this moment. She released her shield. As soon as the wall was down, Neomi dipped between Kelsey's legs. She had no clue what the shadows were or why the creatures were trying to defend her, but they were and she was going to use them.

As soon as she was on the other side of Kelsey, she sweeped her leg underneath the other woman. Their ankles caught to send Kelsey off balance. Her boots squealed against the wood as she tumbled over, but Neomi had adrenaline pumping.

Without even thinking, she sent her shadows up. They reached from the rafter, and for a split second Neomi got a look at the entire body of the creatures instead of just their black, furry-like arms.

With long canines and glowing yellow eyes the creatures kept their eyes on Neomi. They awaited her command. The second she took to blink at the freaky little beasts was enough time for Kelsey to grab Neomi's ankle.

"Die, you psycho bitch!" Kelsey wailed.

Her arm wrenched back to fling Neomi. Neomi's hair hung upside down from her skull, and her skirt fell for everyone to see her underwear, a pair of skin tight biker shorts.

Putting her former gymnastics skills to use before Kelsey could let go of her, Neomi curled inwards on herself. She latched onto the arms Kelsey was using to hold herself up and tugged. When her nails broke, pulled back so far they oozed blood, the two of them descended.

Neomi's gasp of shock turned to shrill fear when she noted her headfirst dive towards solid stone. That gasp got her shadow beings gathering directly beneath her. No, Neomi didn't have a shadow! Her shadow was merely a vast collection of those tiny fiends.

Unable to figure what was even going on, the shadow arms stretched. They reached to gather up both Neomi and Kelsey but whereas Neomi was teleported in a wave of darkness to Oga and Rufus's feet, Kelsey was flung across the room where she landed in a crumpled heap at Minerva and Jiemma's feet.

The way Kelsey's body had rolled against the stone would be forever etched into Neomi's mind. Headfirst, likely cracking the skull, and then flopping limp before a quietly watching Minerva and a highly interested Jiemma.

Panting, Neomi felt something trickling down her head. She rose on shaky arms before feeling crimson run down her face. It strolled down from a gash in her forehead to bleed into her eye. Red covered her vision, but she didn't blink it away. Neomi was too distracted by Kelsey's unconscious form.

Did… Did she kill her?

Out of concern, Neomi reached out. She tried to rise, but she couldn't. Her muscles were gelatin and—

"You're low on magic. We'll take you to the infirmary," Orga stated, his voice a baritone drum striking overhead.

When Neomi's arms could no longer support her, she fell to a crumpled heap. At least I didn't pass out this time, Neomi mused to herself when Orga plucked her limp form from off the stone floor.

She was so weak she felt like a rag doll. Neomi couldn't even raise her arms to wrap them around Orga's neck and get a better look at what Jiemma and Minerva were doing to Kelsey's body. Surely, Neomi didn't kill her.

She couldn't kill anyone. Or, could she? Neomi never would have suspected Kelsey capable of trying to shove an electrified katana through her skull. It looked like people could always change—even in the most unsuspecting of ways.

* * *

What the fuck was Number One on Orga's top list of comments on that battle. He'd been nothing but confused upon meeting this ginger, and that battle had done nothing to clear it up for him.

What was she? Who was she? Who was that girl? Why did they hate each other? And, his current favorite… What the hell is going on here?

Shaking his head, Orga felt his green hair dust across his barren shoulders while he walked Neomi to the infirmary. The little girl had said there were others like her. Apparently that Kelsey was one of them.

Judging from Neomi's look of absolute shock and horror upon seeing the woman, he could safely assume that they hadn't always been enemies until recently. That or Kelsey was some kind of Boogeyman to Neomi.

The whole situation was so outrageous and confusing for him that he just wanted a long nap to clear his head. Maybe, some good music to go with that nap.

"Something is horribly wrong here," Rufus stated, reinforcing all the messed up questions brewing in Orga's skull.

Instead of making much comment on it, Orga gruffly stated, "Your powers of observation are impeccable."

The scowl Rufus gave him was enough to tell Orga that he'd gotten under the other man's skin, but what did it even matter? It was weird enough knowing one girl had fallen through the sky. Now that Sabertooth had to deal with two of them, it was becoming even more outrageous. Mage guilds sure did put up with a whole lot of weird.

Wishing that he could say something to lighten the mood, Neomi moved against Orga. Her soft voice whispered, "Did I kill her?"

"No. You didn't kill her. You just knocked her out. She'll be heading to the infirmary right after you," Orga encouraged, hoping that he was right. With the way that Kelsey chick had been laying on the floor with her skull a bloody mess, it didn't seem like death was too farfetched an idea. Even though Orga didn't want to believe the ginger doll in his arms was capable of murder, he knew it wasn't a crazy concept. She shot freaking laser beams out of her mouth. Why wouldn't she be capable of killing someone?

Her tiny hand laid flat against the broad expanse of his chest, and Orga blinked down at her. He and Rufus were heading down one of the naturally lit corridors towards the infirmary. With the stained glass around her, Neomi was given a halo of red around her orangy hair. She looked very much like a redheaded angel as opposed to a weapon of mass destruction.

The look on her face was purely forlorn when she muttered, "I don't want to be around her. Not while I'm unconscious."

Rufus gave a nod. "I remember that I have a pull out bed/couch. You can take my bed, and I'll rest there tonight. Surely, after that battle, Jiemma will remember to tell Neomi she's a member of the guild."

"And, she won't be leaving this guild without that mark," Minerva mentioned, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. Her big father was right behind her. Kelsey had been thrown carelessly over his shoulder and blood still dripped from on open wound somewhere on her body.

Drip. Drip. Drip. The crimson life that gave her oxygen splattered to the floor.

"So, where do you want it?" Minerva asked. She took a step closer with the stamp that gave members the marking.

"Here," Neomi grumbled. Her arm stretched out. "Place it wherever. I don't care."

"You should care," Minerva stated calmly despite the venom tainting her voice. "You're a member of the strongest guild in Fiore, one honored with the title of strongest guild member." Minerva reached past Neomi's arm to stamp the marking at the hollow between her collarbones. "There. Welcome to the guild."

"Thank you, Minerva," Rufus stated. "Neomi will remember to thank you herself when she feels better. She was once friends with Kelsey."

"I'm sure she will." Minerva pressed her hand to Orga's shoulder. "Take her where you please."

* * *

**Aye! Before you go, I would like for you to give me some suggestions on what you would like to see in the story. Possible missions. Possible relationships (not just of the romantic variety, friendly too). And, possible bunking situations. Just give me a heads up on what you would like to get a read on, and I'll deliver as best I can.**

**Now, I'm gunna go to sleep. Ta-Ta for now!**


	7. Past Present Future

**After a long, long debate, I have figured out where Neomi has come from and why she is in Earthland. I really hope that my plotting and scheming will take you all by surprise when I finish this story. (rubs hands together in quite the malicious and evil way) Yes, you will see. All of you will see.**

**(sighs) Sadly, though. I will not have a killing spree. CERTAIN people don't like it when I kill characters, so CERTAIN people have convinced me to go a more peaceful route with this story. (another sigh) Some day. Some day soon I will have a killing spree, and there will be nothing you can do about it. Muahahahahahahaha. (cough, cough) Oh, gosh. Some one get me some water.**

* * *

Past, Present, Future

Still in Orga's arms, Neomi stared down at her hands. She looked down at her flesh with a mix of horror and awe. The words Kelsey had roared ran rampant inside of her head as she stared.

_You belong here with your whore mother!_

_You should have never come to the real world!_

Then, there was the most important one. _I know what you are!_

There was nothing to know about Neomi. She was the average twenty year old university student aside from a few key facts. According to Neomi's first set of foster parents, she'd arrived just outside of an orphanage. With nothing but a blanket around her body and a ribbon stating her name, Neomi had entered the world. Her blue eyes and orange hair had captivated potential adopters, but no one had ever taken her in. From foster home to foster home, Neomi had bounced until reaching that age of adulthood.

Aside from her foster house hopping and the incident at the orphanage, Neomi wasn't all that special. Yeah, there were always the strange happenings such as the shadows that followed her and the mystics that were enchanted with her, but Neomi had just passed it off as a young girl's imaginings.

Was there actually something to the fact that Neomi was a wandering orphan, a familyless drifter?

She had no idea.

Even though Neomi had felt unwelcome in the modern world, she'd made herself a place there. As soon as she'd gotten her license Neomi had been a waitress, a cashier, and a fast food cook. During the summer, she would cut grass and water flowers for people too busy to do it themselves.

The foster families she went through rarely ever saw her. Neomi was always too busy trying to make a buck, saving up money to send herself through college.

She'd hidden that feeling of loss underneath a heavy work ethic and desire to learn. When the itch for a loving family ever hit her too hard, she would run off to buy a new book or graphic novel. Neomi lost herself in other worlds when she felt lost in the one she'd been born in. There was nothing strange about that, and it had even pushed her to make friends like Rylan and Marina.

If anything, that should be viewed as a good thing. But, there were always the shadows and the whisper of a voice when they loomed too near. A soothing and loving voice that Neomi had yearned for all her life followed her. With a gentle tone and patient reserve, the voice had become the mother Neomi had never had.

When she'd heard the voice telling her to come home, Neomi had been certain it was her mother. She just didn't know how it could be.

Rubbing her temples, Neomi squeezed her eyes shut. The sound of a door replaced the chirping of birds and air conditioning replaced a cool breeze. Neomi didn't have to open her eyes to know that one of the guys had taken her to one of their places, but when a little pig snorted, Neomi found her eyes popping open anyway.

The blood that had leaked into her eyes was matted thick into her lashes. It took a little effort to get that eyeball open, but Neomi finally wrestled it under control.

As soon as Orga sat Neomi on top of a counter, Rufus stated, "I remembered to get you a rag."

Muttering her thanks, Neomi felt Rufus's gentle fingers brush beneath her chin. He tugged her head down to a better angle. Warm water ran across dried blood, and Neomi tried to quell the thoughts charging through her skull.

Kelsey's reaction to her had shaken her. Neomi didn't know whether she should be mad, upset, or happy to see her friend. She was kind of assuming all three. For one, Kelsey was alive and safe in Sabertooth. That meant that Rylan and Marina had to be around here somewhere. Second, there was the fact that Kelsey seemed to harbor some kind of hatred towards Neomi. Neomi hadn't done anything. What the hell was Kelsey's problem? Thirdly, she felt betrayed. Kelsey had been the sorority girl who'd voted to get Neomi into their sorority. They'd felt instant camaraderie over their love of fiction and had been able to grow an almost sisterly bond with each other. To see such a powerful bond severed without them both going through an argument or fight face to face… Neomi felt like Kelsey had turned two faced. That wasn't the Kelsey Neomi knew.

But, Neomi had to go up against Kels. She had been standing between knowledge and a way back home. _But, what if she's right and that's not your home?_

Scowling at the stray thought, Neomi opened the eye Rufus just finished cleaning of blood. As she checked out his home fueled by lacrima, Neomi had to force herself to realize that this whole situation was so farfetched she shouldn't even be comprehending it as reality.

Rufus had a lacrima powered fridge, microwave, and lighting system. Or, Neomi was assuming this to be Rufus's house given the elegant decorum.

Tasteful paintings were held up. They contained beautiful scenery such as meadows and quaint villages. He even had a portrait of himself. He held a skull decorated in a crown of flowers while he gazed in profile towards its hollowed out eyes. Below the picture read, _Beauty does not end with death, instead it grows anew._

How poetic.

Yeah. This was definitely Rufus's place.

As Rufus tended to her, patching her wounds and cleaning them with alcohol, Orga straddled his big body on a dining chair. He didn't look as if he was comfortable with the yawning silence in the room, so he cured it.

"What the hell was her problem?" he grumbled, not looking too happy about the many bruises and cuts littering Neomi's porcelain pale skin.

Sighing, Neomi replied, "I don't know. I was hoping you guys might. Was she around before you left for the Forgotten Village Mission?"

"I don't remember seeing her before then. She said Minerva had rescued her. Our lady had left on a mission several days prior to ours. Perhaps, that was when she found Kelsey," Rufus intoned.

His long, pianist type fingers fiddled around inside of a med kit before he withdrew some kind of salve. He made a motion for Neomi to part her lips. As soon as she did, he dipped his thumb into the salve then swiped it across her busted bottom lip. It sealed almost instantly, leaving only a crease and tingling sensation in its place.

When he finished, Neomi mentioned, "Yeah. That makes sense, but I was the third to fall through the rift, portal-thingy. I don't know how much time might have lapsed between my landing and Kelsey. From what she sounds like, it seems like she'd been tortured for a long time."

"I don't have any experience with this kind of time warp stuff—portals either. The only person in Sabertooth that uses spacial type magic other than Minerva is Yukino." Orga drew his burly arms up before laying his chin down on his forearms. "Given that Minerva and Kelsey are tight. I would say your best bet is talking to Yukino. She's usually with Sting and Rogue."

Rufus leaned back cooly against the counter Neomi was perched atop. "That's a grand idea, Orga. Besides, they looked to be cheering Neomi on when they saw Kelsey freaking out on her. Surely, they'd help us out."

"It doesn't hurt to ask," Neomi stated. She placed her hands down on either side of herself to leap from the counter, but as soon as she moved, her entire body lost its motor skills. Her legs crumpled beneath herself.

Before she could fall face first and make a crumpled heap on Rufus's nice white-gold tile floor, he caught her. "Side effect of low magic power. Since magic's connected to the soul, your entire existence is weak right now," he explained while pulling her over to a sofa.

As soon as she sat down, Bacon joined her. The hog curled up in her lap as if to comfort Neomi.

"Then, how do non-mages even live? Aren't they constantly empty on magic power? Do they not have souls or something?" Neomi wondered.

While Rufus scratched his head for an explanation, Orga saved him from it. "Think of magic like a growth or extra organ. People are born with souls then the magic comes in to hook onto it like an extra organ system."

"So, essentially, magic is a tumor."

"If you want to make it sound so depressing, then yeah. Think of it like a tumor that generates power from the strength of the soul. If the tumor never grows, then the human can live perfect without it, but if it does grow and connects to a major organ then you're stuck with it for the rest of your life since the removal will kill you."

Neomi wanted to groan at the metaphor. Did that mean that when she left here she'd still have those creepy black things following her around? It wasn't like they hadn't followed her before all of this but still. She didn't want to be magic. She wanted to be plain, boring, dorky Neomi not shadowy monster tamer Neomi. She couldn't get a job if every time she got mad, she opened up a black hole for demon arms to come out. Sheesh. Neomi could read the headlines now.

_Twenty Year Old University Student Opens Gate to Hell: Daughter of the Devil or Heaven's Fury?_

Leaning her head back on the couch, Neomi frowned at Rufus's coffered ceiling. "Can my life get any weirder?" she grimaced.

"I wouldn't ask that out loud. Things can always get worse," Orga commented.

"No kidding. Murphy's Law at its finest."

Her hand fell atop her forehead before Neomi twisted around. "Do you think we'll be able to do any research today?"

"I wouldn't recommend going back to the guild yet. Jiemma and Minerva would ask questions, and you're too weak for that at the moment. What we can do is contact Yukino. Orga, you'll stay here to look after Neomi while I get them?"

The big, green haired mage gave a short nod. "I'll keep an eye out on the vagabond. Mind if I raid your fridge?"

Rufus plucked his hat up from a coat rack then opened up the door. "Have at it. We'll have to stop by a market for more food anyway if Neomi is going to be staying at my place."

"And Bacon?" Neomi questioned slowly.

"And Bacon. We just can't let the landlord see her."

With a satisfied grin spanning her face, Neomi turned back around. The Green Giant was moving from his position at the dinner table, and she heard the click of Rufus's door when he left.

At that exact moment Neomi felt like recognition hit her hard. Perhaps, it was stupid to say that she was just coming to terms with her situation now, but everything was so weird that it was hard to accept as reality. Now that they weren't chasing after flowers or traveling through oversized forests, Neomi had a second to think.

And, boy, was her life out of the ordinary.

Just a couple of days ago Neomi was studying to pull her grades up to keep her university scholarship. Now, she was in a manga world with manga characters and acting out a manga storyline. Uh, how do you say WTF?

She was starting to rethink her entire existence because she'd gotten sucked up into an alternate universe via Ouija Board. Hello! Awkward! No, no. Actually, awkward didn't even begin to describe it. Freakish. Yeah. Much better. This was downright freakish!

Alien abduction would have been more believable than her current situation!

Moaning aloud, Neomi tried to clear her mind and think straight, but it just wasn't working. She wanted to go home. She was honestly starting to miss having ramen noodles on a weekly basis. She missed her boring general education credit classes. Calculus! She would give someone a million bucks just to go back to the real world and do some calculus right now!

Neomi felt like her brain would spontaneously combust until Orga shoved a chocolate bar into her groaning mouth. "Ah wazza ig idea!" pulled from her lips instead of actual words.

"You make too much noise. First, you're screaming. Now, you're moaning," Orga explained. He pulled a container out of the fridge, checked the contents, and put it back where he found it with a grimace.

Shifting in her spot, Neomi made a sound similar to Bacon's grunting. "You don't live with many women. Do you? We're very noisy creatures."

"I'm starting to realize that, but no, I lived on an island with three other brothers. No women other than my mother, and she was a much larger lady than you are. No offense," he explained as he continued what was looking to be a vain search for food in Rufus's house. Neomi couldn't even scold him for snooping. She was starving too. They had gotten a quick breakfast on their way out, but it was gone now.

Neomi let a smile play on her lips. For some reason she wasn't surprised by that at all. Even though the wikipedia article that explained Orga didn't go into his family, Neomi could imagine him on an island with other large, brawny males. In her eyes Orga looked Samoan or Hawaiian.

Still, she commented, "No offense taken. It's hard work maintaining such a beautiful, girlish figure like mine."

"Or scrawny," Orga snickered. He apparently found something worth eating because he pulled some leftovers from the fridge before popping them into the microwave.

Even as Neomi was hoping there would be enough to share, she grumbled, "You calling me skinny?"

"I ain't calling you fat."

With a huff Neomi narrowed her eyes on Orga. It was interesting to actually think that the characters of Fairy Tail could have bigger personalities and lives than what was shown in the anime and manga, but it made sense. If someone documented Neomi's life, he or she would leave out a lot. That was how a story worked. The reader only got to see glimpses, not the actual universe. So much was left for the imagination. It was why people wrote fan fiction and made fan art. They wanted to know the whole picture.

"So, this island. Where is it?" Neomi asked. The longer she stayed here, the more she realized how little she knew about Fiore, Fairy Tail, and the people that created it. She was truly alien.

Looking surprised that she'd actually asked, Orga cocked a green brow. He opened his mouth to speak at the exact moment the microwave's alarm beeped. While pulling whatever he'd heated up out, he explained, "It's a small tropical island off the coast of southern Fiore. The locals call it Motu, but visitors call it Motu Island. Which sounds completely stupid because Motu means island. They go there calling it Island Island. Everyone makes fun of the tourists."

He placed his meal out, and Neomi tried to peer over the couch to see it. Orga's broad body was in the way. All she could see was his wide frame as he put some kind of sauce on his food.

"So, why'd you come to the mainland? I imagine living on the island was more fun than coming here. Sun, surf, and sand. If I wasn't ruined by my Scottish and Irish heritage, I would love the go sunbathing without matching the sand around me," Neomi explained. She was actually learning more about the Fairy Tail universe than she'd ever read. Even though she hadn't been obsessed with the manga, she had to do character research to know how to write about them in her fan fiction. She knew a fair bit but not this much. It was interesting.

Moving like he was finished with prepping his meal, Orga strolled over to Neomi. His massive body flopped down beside her on the couch. When his weight sunk down, her cushions lifted her up higher. Bacon's confused expression was enough to say that she didn't understand the sudden elevation.

Orga handed her a fork. "Argument. My parents saw me as a farmer, and I saw myself as a guild mage. When I refused to do what they wanted, they kicked me out. Haven't been back since." He took a bite of what looked to be sauce covered barbecue.

Taking her own bite, Neomi chewed thoughtfully. Neomi didn't know what it was like to be in an argument with her family. For one, she'd never had one. For two, she was never home enough to argue with her foster parents. She'd had good foster parents, but they pretty much let her do her own thing. No questions asked. The only person she ever really thought of as family was Rylan and her Gram. The two of them had become her replacement family. She'd been so grateful that they'd taken her in that they never got into massive arguments. Neomi stayed at their place more than she stayed with her foster families.

"Do you miss it?"

"Of course. What about you? How are you coping with all this?" To prove his point Orga spread his arm wide. He gestured from Rufus's Renaissance themed home to the window outside where Neomi caught sight of people strolling by Rufus's first floor townhouse.

Neomi stabbed her fork into the plate she was sharing with Orga then popped more barbecue into her mouth. Slowly, she chewed while trying to figure out how exactly she should respond to that.

Orga was being nice to her. Actually, his tune on her had changed ever since she'd taken care of those flowers and had tamed Bacon. When Neomi swallowed her barbecue, her eyes abruptly grew wide.

Bacon. Barbecue. Bacon. Barbecue.

Sweet saints alive! Neomi was eating barbecue when in the presence of her pet boar. How rude!

She tossed Bacon a glance to see if the hog was offended. She wasn't. Bacon had leaped off the couch to go nose through Rufus's apartment. To see that wild hog in Rufus's neat, elegant home was a kind of irony. Not half as ironic as the fact that Neomi was eating pork in the presence of her pet boar.

"I'm an awful parent!" Neomi wailed.

Brows raising, Orga's response was a short "Huh?"

Neomi's head hung in sheer shame. "Bacon. I'm eating pig in front of my beloved Bacon, and she doesn't even know it. Does this make me a cannibal? I'm eating my pig daughter's relatives!"

"You're so weird," Orga sighed. His shook his head then looked towards Bacon. The boar was rooting through a basket beside the red cushioned couch. In a few seconds she had a remote in her mouth. "There it is!" Orga announced.

Placing the now empty plate on the coffee table, Orga plucked a remote from Bacon's maw. Neomi was going to ask what he was doing until he pressed a button with his thumb. In a few seconds classic rock was playing.

Of course. Music. Orga had a thing for music. She honestly hoped that he wasn't about to start s—ing.

"Is that Nirvana?" Neomi asked, immediately recognizing the tune of the song _Heart Shaped Box_.

"Yeah. Actually. They're some new music the radio lacrima has been playing. It started playing about a month or so ago. _Sorcerer Weekly_ found this girl who goes by the name of DJ Black Magic. They gave her a radio station, and she plays the music they pulled off a lacrima called an Android."

Immediately, Neomi braced her arms against the back of the couch. She nearly leaped from the seat when she squealed, "DJ Black Magic is what I named Rylan when we had a radio station in High School for Communications Class! DJ Black Magic and News Reporter Ginger! That was our station!" She spun on her heels to slam two hands down on Orga's giant shoulders. Shaking him, she shrieked, "Ry is trying to find me through the radio!"

Hastily, Neomi let go of Orga. His head was bobbing side to side as she pressed her hand against her chin. "But, you said month ago. That means that I've only been here a few days. Was Jason the one that found Rylan? If so, where does she live? Does _Sorcerer Weekly_ have a headquarters? I have to get to Rylan and tell her about Kelsey. Then, we can go search for Marina. But, what if Marina has already found Ry because of her radio station." Neomi threw her finger in Orga's direction. "You! Tell me where the HQ of _Sorcerer Weekly_ is!"

Orga was still reared back in his seat when a door opened at the other end of the living room. When Rufus came inside with brown bags full of groceries and Sting with his crew in tow, Neomi leaped clean over the couch.

"Rufus!" she shrieked. Her hands snatched him by the collar, and she heaved him closer. "Where does _Sorcerer Weekly_ broadcast from?"

"I-I don't know. Why do you need to know?"

Neomi let go of Rufus as soon as she'd snatched him up. She paced from left to right in his dining area with that hand back on her chin. "But, what if Marina is the one doing the DJ thing under Rylan's alias? I would still need to find the broadcasting station, but Marina isn't as close to me as she is to Rylan. And, what if she's pissed at me because she thinks I'm the reason we're all here? What if everyone is pissed at me because I opened the portal? Did I even open the portal?" Her hands flew to grip either side of her skull, and Neomi groaned, "Ugh! I don't know!"

"Is she always like this?" Sting whispered in Rufus's direction.

The Memory Make mage placed his groceries on the counter before shaking his head. "No. I have no idea what's wrong with her right now. Orga?"

"The Vagabond heard some of her other world music playing on the radio. She thinks DJ Black Magic is one of her alien friends. You buy groceries?" Orga rose up from his spot on the couch. Taking the plate with him, he dropped it in the sink before taking groceries from the other guys.

Slowly, Rufus nodded. "I remembered to pick them up on the way here. So, Neomi, you found a lead on one of your friends?"

She gave a steady nod of her head. Neomi's lips were pressed so tightly together Rufus supposed she was afraid she'd scream if she opened her mouth. Given her excitable nature it was a likely prospect.

Rufus ran a hand through his hair after he hung his hat back up on his coat rack. "I don't know where they broadcast from to be honest. I'm sure that we could do some research into it."

"Actually," Yukino piped up, "I know where it's at. When Fairy Tail lost their key members, Jason no longer had anyone to talk about Celestial Spirit Magic. He started interviewing me since Lucy Heartfilia was gone. All the modeling and interviews go down at the same place when it's an individual needed. We go to Coralroot City."

"The place they just connected to the railroads in west Fiore?" Rogue asked.

"Yup. It's a pretty place. About a day's worth of travel. If we left in the morning, we'd get there by nightfall." Yukino looked towards Neomi. "Do you think your magic will be ready soon enough?"

Straightening her back, Neomi explained, "I'd go there right now if I knew the way."

"How about we sit down and talk about it before deciding on anything? Given the way Kelsey reacted to Neomi, I don't want her having to defend herself if someone feels like holding another grudge on her," Rufus explained. He was at the counter and stocking both the cabinets and the fridge with the items he'd purchased.

Without having to be asked, Neomi helped Rufus with putting away the groceries. She felt like she'd explode if she didn't sit down. The last thing she needed to be doing right now was getting entrails all over Rufus's nice, clean furniture. Picking up some leeks, tomatoes, and some kind of funky looking vegetable Neomi had no clue about, Neomi got directed for where their placement was. In a few moments, the team of two got the groceries put away, and any brown bags that weren't torn or had gotten wet were placed inside a cabinet to be used as trash bags. Rufus had an order to just about everything he did.

Once all the domestics were finished, Rufus and Neomi joined the group in the living room. Rogue sat in a living chair. Sting and Yukino had stolen Neomi's spot on the couch. Orga wound up leaning his massive body against a wall. Rufus took a spot on the floor next to his fireplace after he offered a rocking chair to Neomi.

The entire group looked like they were ready to pow-wow, but no one was opening their mouths. Eyes were settled on Neomi expectantly. She didn't know why. Neomi had no clue what to talk to them about. Meeting with Yukino had been Rufus and Orga's idea. Not hers. Neomi had thought her search would begin in a library—not with a first person source.

Sting didn't let the silence last. He adjusted in his spot to ask, "So, what's with you and Kelsey? Rufus told me about everything from falling out of the sky to shooting laser beams out of your mouth and being able to make those creepy shadow arms."

"Well, that's the thing. I don't know what's wrong with Kelsey. If you want to know my real opinion on it, I think when we fell into the Ouija Board she landed in a rough part of town whereas I wound up with Rufus and Orga. If that really is Rylan broadcasting, Jason must have been the one to find her. Him or someone else from Sorcerer Weekly," Neomi explained. She crossed her feet at the ankles then put two hands on either side of the rocking chair. It was hard to be serious when your speaking platform wanted to go back and forth the entire time.

Rogue inclined his head. "So, how many of you fell through? I know you mentioned to Rufus you lived in a university. Do you think any other students went through?"

"No. It was Spring Break. Most people either went to the beaches or home for the break. Kelsey's parents went to France to visit relatives, and she couldn't go because of classes. Rylan has no family since her parents and Gram died. Marina's abuelo wanted her to go to Mexico for Spring Break, but Marina didn't like the idea of me staying in the townhouse alone all break. The four of us should be the only ones that fell through… unless that portal is still open and sucking people into this world one by one." Her eyes got wide. Before Neomi could go into another bout of hyper speech, Rufus cut in.

"We're only looking for Marina and Rylan right now, though. We can worry about the portal after we have our headcount."

"But, how did you open the portal, or did you open it in the first place? How do you know someone wasn't already doing a spell to open one, and you girls just got sucked in it by accident? That is remotely what happened when the Exceeds came to Earthland," Yukino explained, she glanced to where Frosch was sitting in Rogue's lap and where Lector was harassing Bacon.

Shrugging, Neomi explained, "I don't know. Kelsey blames me, but I don't know if it was me or not. I heard a voice telling me to come home, and Kelsey thinks that this is where I was originally from. But, that couldn't be the case. That would just be… It would… There's just no way. Earth is too boring for that kind of stuff."

Orga narrowed his eyes at Neomi. "Boring? What do you mean?"

"Where I'm from, there's no such thing as magic. People got rid of all the fairy tales. The most magic we get is from science and technology. People are artists not mages. We're so obsessed with getting rid of magic altogether that people even fight wars over just whose god is better than who. I still don't get why people kill each other in the name of a god who only hopes for love and peace. My world is a walking contradiction. There's just not any magic. We killed all of it a long time ago."

"But, what if some of it is still around?" Yukino asked. "It's got to be impossible to get rid of all the magic that used to be around."

Neomi shook her head. "No. No. If magic was real that would mean the witch hunts were real and the vampire hunts were real. It just couldn't exist, and if it did, I would hate to think that when I went outside a vampire could be stalking me."

"We have gods and demons and dragons. I think that a world without magic is more frightening than a world with it," Rogue added in. "At least, with mages around you know someone is out there to protect you."

"Or a dark guild is out there worshipping Zeref and wanting to end the world," Orga mentioned, thinking back to the last dark guild Sabertooth had to take out. It'd been quite the mission. People had said the Future would change the Past and all that nonsense. Orga had been glad to see the occultists blown up then placed in jail.

He looked over towards Neomi. She couldn't have come from the future… could she? Falling from a portal… Yeah. She had to have been like Mystogan. There was no way Neomi was actually from the future. This was some science fiction kind of shit.

Besides, there wasn't any way to completely get rid of magic. Right?


	8. Whistle

**So, just as a slight suggestion, for the beginning of this story I suggest looking up the Kill Bill Theme by Twisted Nerve. It'll set the mood for you. And, for the end listen to Brazil by Geoff Muldaur.**

* * *

Whistle

I sat in the darkness. My hands were chained high above my head, and I was forced to stand despite the weakness in my legs. For so long, I'd been like this. It'd been either days or months. For all I knew, it could have been years. I just knew it had been a long time.

All that time in this position had caused my legs to grow weak from standing, my feet to ache, and all the blood in my arms to run lower. Eventually, people would come. They might come alone, or they might come with others they had captured. I never really knew when I would get a new visitor into this place. All I knew was that the time I'd spent in this dark place was beginning to desensitize me to fear.

They threatened me, occasionally a wily one would force himself upon me. I did nothing. I said nothing. What could I really do? I was weak, starved, dehydrated, and chained to the rocks around me. I wasn't much of a threat aside from one little secret.

Grinning in the darkness, I reveled in that secret. It was one that had been long kept and never realized until here recently when Crocus had started their tinkering. Thanks to them, part of the secret had gotten out. My treasure chest where I kept the most precious weapon guarded had been breached, but oh, how closely I guarded the soul of the secret. They may have unveiled the first half, but I could still keep them from the second. It was what the other keys were for.

They would never know. They would never get it out of me. And, they would never be able to kill me until I told. When the large door creaked open on rusty hinges, I began to whistle the theme song to Kill Bill, the version by Twisted Nerve of course.

In the midst of my psychotic whistling, the leader I knew so well approached. His face was nothing more than a contorted, physical definition for the word hate, and he moved near me with pure hostility. It was an appearance that I was way too used to.

All the kindness he'd shown me in the past was gone. At first, I'd been astounded to realize he of all people was the one who was after me. Why would such a kind, sweet, and charitable man want to harm me?

Those questions had always boggled my mind until I realized the truth. With his labcoat on and his thick rimmed glasses, he had appeared normal, but this man, this leader, was anything but normal. He was a snake. He was a trickster. He was wicked and evil, and he'd had his eyes on me for way too long. Such a shame that I'd never realized I was being watched for all those years.

Still, he'd never get it out of me. I was too crafty. The sword may be in his hands, but I was the key to the world he sought. He couldn't take me out without killing me, the other me. The kind and sweet me. That was the me he needed. I wasn't the one. I would never be... the one.

* * *

Neomi's mouth opened up into a wide yawn, and she stared towards the ceiling above her. Unlike the ceiling in her dorm room, Rufus's bedroom had a large, coffered ceiling with a dramatic chandelier dangling over his bed. Either he liked to wake up to suspense, or he was waiting for the day that weighty chandelier fell from its thin chain to crush him in his sleep. No matter the case, just the sight of that large chandelier had Neomi quickly rolling from Rufus's king sized four poster bed and placing her feet to the floor.

Cold, hardwood kissed the bottoms of her bare feet, and Neomi took a prime opportunity to reach her arms into the sky and yawn one more time. She'd slept wonderfully inside of Rufus's bed until her dreams had gone from sweet splendor to solemn sadism. What had once been an easy-going dream of returning home had quickly changed into a dark room where she was suspended arms overhead in manacles.

If Marina or Rylan was around, Neomi would ask what the symbolism of that meant, but neither one of the girls were here. She would just have to deal with it on her own. At the very least, she hadn't seen any darkness trying to gobble her up here lately. There wasn't a single unnaturally moving shadow in the entire room as Neomi padded barefoot towards the bathroom.

Quickly, she ran through her morning routine. Once she'd finished brushing her teeth, throwing on a tank top and a pair of running shorts, Neomi went into the living room with her hair done up in one of those towel hats.

The first sight that greeted her in Rufus's living room was Bacon. Upon seeing her master, the boar charged her. Neomi was delivered a powerful headbutt to the knee before she picked up the one Neomi-owned item Rufus refused to let in his bedroom.

Burrowing a spot between Neomi's twisted head towel and her shoulder, Bacon chilled while Neomi looked for Rufus. He wasn't hard to find. A light smacking sound gave him away, and his satin pajamas were giving off a sheen against the early sunrise.

If Neomi had been at anyone else's house for a sleepover, she would have let him be before raiding his kitchen for breakfast, but since she had places to go and best friends to collect, Neomi poked Rufus in the forehead. "Wake up, Mr. Fancy Hat!" Neomi belted out.

A yipping of surprise pulled out of Rufus's lungs. He set about floundering on his pull out couch before landing on his back. Blankets pooled around his narrow hips to reveal his white satin button up. In sleep it must have come undone. Neomi got a view of his pecs and typically hidden collarbones while Rufus gaped in her direction.

He appeared confused at her presence. Rufus blinked once. Then, he blinked twice. After a few more sessions of hard blinking, he sleepily questioned, "What time is it, and who is Mr. Fancy Hat?"

Rolling her big, cerulean eyes, Neomi stated, "Crack of dawn. My alarm went off. We meet the others in…" Neomi's eyes drifted to where a grandfather clock loomed in a corner of the room. "One more hour. Will Orga meet us at your place or in town with the others?"

Last night everyone had planned out just how they were going to get to Coralroot. Since it was connected by a railroad, the group wouldn't have to travel by foot the entire way. Neomi just hoped that the full day trip wouldn't be ruined by a broken down train.

Upon hearing that it took two days by foot, Neomi had been distraught. The good thing was that Yukino knew the exact route and a few time saving shortcuts. As long as they followed her instruction, they would be able to make the trip in the exact two days it took to get there. Still, the train shouldn't be down. Apparently ever since Erigor and Kageyama had their train station showdown, security had beefed up.

Neomi had been glad to hear that. She just wanted to figure everything out. The sooner she got everything under control in this world, the sooner she could go home and call it a day. Forget that all of this nonsense had even happened and get her bachelor's degree. The thought that there could be an end to all this had lifted a weight off her shoulders. Now, all she had to do was figure out how to get back home and with her girls intact.

Step one was getting Rufus up. It wasn't too hard. Upon hearing the time, the man had bolted straight out of the room. The bathroom door slammed shut after he'd collected his supplies. Vaguely, she heard him holler, "Orga said he'd meet us in town with the others!"

Nodding, Neomi scratched Bacon under the chin. Neomi had gotten some one on one time with Orga to figure more out about him, but she hardly knew a thing about the man she was currently bunking with. Rufus was so polite and respectful that Neomi didn't even bother asking him questions. He never pried, so she never had to counter with questions like she did with Orga.

Was it rude that she was pretty much living with a stranger? In her book… yeah.

Oh, well. This entire situation was rude if anyone had to ask Neomi. She'd been happily living her life. Watching movies, reading books, and writing fan fiction had been her simple joys, but no, Neomi couldn't keep up that simple life because some creepy, little demon arms had to nab her and her closest friends! Oh, and the comforting voice that Neomi thought of as a mother had to whisper that this place was home.

Sighing, Neomi murmured, "Shouldn't cry over spilled milk."

Just the mention of food got Neomi's stomach growling. Since Rufus had told Neomi anything in his home was hers during her stay, she turned from the living room and towards the kitchen. The fridge was a vast difference compared to the barren real estate that had been begging to be filled up. Now, Neomi had just the right fixings for pancakes, and it looked like Rufus had picked up boar feed.

Reaching up on her tip toes, Neomi plucked a tupperware dish that Rufus couldn't get sore over a boar eating out of. Once she had it taken out, she hastily whipped up a salad for her boar to eat. Now that feeding the beast was out of the way, Neomi had another fiend to contend with. That one was the grumbling monster within her gut.

Quickly, Neomi snagged up some flour, sugar, salt, eggs, and the rest of the mess. Once it was all laid out on the counter, Neomi nabbed her cooking utensils. It wasn't long before she was stirring a batter mixture in a frying pan.

While ramen noodles were usually the guest star in all her dishes, Neomi wasn't unwise to the world of cooking. She just really wished she had some instant pancake mix instead of having to make them the way Rylan's Gram had.

As she stirred, Neomi couldn't help but get a new idea. Leaning backwards, Neomi stretched for another frying pan. She tossed it on a hot eye then slapped down some bacon. "I'm a horrible mother," Neomi muttered, trying her best not to look at Bacon munching on some leafy greens.

Neomi was frying up bacon and mixing batter. She felt so much at ease while performing domestic chores that she couldn't help humming. The stereo had gotten turned on during her morning adventures in the living room. Before Neomi knew it she was singing the Bacon Pancakes song from Adventure Time.

Her head bobbed side to side, and the words slipped happily from her grinning mouth. Even with her hair still twisted up in a towel, Neomi started dancing while throwing some fried bacon into her pancakes.

She sang, "Making pancakes! Making bacon pancakes! I get a little bacon then I add it to some pancakes! Bacon pancaaaaaaakes!" Releasing her hold on the frying pan after Neomi dropped the last pancake onto a dish, she spun around on her heels. She was about to leap into the pirouette of the century until she noticed a certain robe wrapped Rufus gawking at her from the doorway of his bathroom.

"And, here I thought Orga had suddenly turned into a woman," Rufus commented. He looked at Neomi from her bare feet to her towel wrapped head. A small grin crept up the side of his face. "I'm assuming we're having bacon pancakes for breakfast?"

Feeling hot flush run up the front of her chest, Neomi let loose a nervous laugh. Well, this was a first. She was hoping he'd be in the bathroom for the next couple of minutes. No one had ever heard her bellow so loudly other than Rylan, and that was when they were in the car together singing early 2000s music.

Her throat sucked down a gulp of nervousness before she admitted, "Uh. Yeah. Just got done. They're still hot." Slowly, Neomi took the leg still raised into the air and let it drop to the floor.

"Good. We'll have something to keep us from starving on the way there. Rogue, Yukino, you, and myself are the only ones who aren't half shabby at cooking." Rufus strolled casually into the room. He withdrew a seat but didn't sit down in it. Cocking a brow up at her, he asked, "Aren't you eating with me?"

"I-er. Well, yeah. Thanks." Neomi withdrew the towel from her head before tossing it in a laundry basket filled with similar towels. Her wavy, red locks swayed around her face before landing in half dried lumps on her shoulders. She likely looked an absolute mess, but Rufus wasn't bothered in the slightest.

Once she was seated, he pushed her chair back near the table. Neomi had to twist around to watch Rufus walk towards the fridge. "Coffee, juice, tea, or water?" he wondered with the door open.

"Water. Coffee ruins tooth enamel same as juice and tea," Neomi pointed out.

Instead of questioning her interest in tooth health, Rufus just got her water. For himself he poured a glass of juice. Once he'd placed the items on the table, it wasn't long before the pancakes made their way in front of her as well.

Rufus caught the curiosity in her eyes and explained, "You're a guest in my house. I have to remember to take care of you." His lips held a warm smile, and he handed her the syrup and butter before fixing up his own meal.

"Thanks," she mentioned. "It's been a while since I've sat down to eat with someone." A long while as a matter of fact. Rylan and Neomi would usually meet up at the Starbucks on campus to grab a cake pop and frappuccino before classes. Then, they would see Marina walking to English. They wouldn't be able to meet up with Kelsey until lunch, and the girls went off campus for that meal. A home cooked meal was hard to come by until the weekend hit. They would all take turns showing off a new food or restaurant. Just thinking about it all got Neomi's eyes wet. She wanted normal back…

Rufus swallowed a bite. "So, you don't count eating during our mission or when you and Orga raided my fridge?"

"Na. The other was with people who just needed my help, and Orga and I were sitting on the couch not at the table," Neomi mentioned. Her eyes wanted to wander towards the window. Marina and Rylan were still out there without her.

Were they scared? Probably not. Marina's worst fear was strangers, but she came from the stereotypical large family and knew how to speak to others. Rylan's worse fear was… Well, aside from spiders she didn't freak out much. Neomi had a bad predilection for picking up grandaddy long leg spiders to throw them on her, and Rylan had a bad predilection of bonking Neomi on the head for it.

Even as the scent of pancakes had her nose and gut interested in the food, Neomi wanted to be out there looking for them. They were looking for her, and she planned to meet them in the middle. Everywhere she turned, she was realizing the world of Fairy Tail was nothing like the real world.

Everything was powered by magic. TVs were powered by magic stored within lacrima. People used magic even if they weren't magical via cooking utensils. The stovetop that Neomi was using had a fire lacrima to light the pilot light for crying out loud. Pens, pencils, and knives were powered by magic. The knife let her cut stuff faster. The pen let her unwrite runes and create them as well. The pencils scribbled faster. It was like relearning how to cook because everything was made faster.

"I suppose that it would be quite the change if you really come from a world without magic," Rufus commented when he caught Neomi staring at the unit containing an electric lacrima for the stereo.

Embarrassed that she'd been caught staring, Neomi popped the last of her pancakes into her mouth. "I shouldn't be so surprised, but Mashima doesn't go into much detail on the actual world of Fairy Tail. It's all Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Wendy. Then, they throw in the occasional Laxus, Mira, Levy, and Cana. Even though we hear a lot about their adventures, the manga and anime readers and watchers barely know the characters we all love. Like, I would have never suspected you and Ora to be so nice before the Grand Magic Games," she threw out, unveiling just how much she'd read into the manga before coming here.

Rufus thoughtfully chewed while staring at her. "So, you're saying we really are nothing but comic book characters in your world?"

Neomi quickly nodded. "Yeah. It was because I had the manga open while we were using an Ouija Board that we got sucked into Fairy Tail. Or, I think that's why… I'm really not sure. The shadows I can control now followed me when I was in the real world. Maybe, it was just a coincidence that we had the board and book out for us to get sucked inside."

Seeing that she was finished with her meal, Rufus collected her plate before walking towards the sink. "Maybe. Maybe not. Fate forces us to act in certain ways. You know, you could post a job up to a couple of guilds for them to find any information on your state." Once he finished rinsing the dishes, he put them into another lacrima powered object.

A smile couldn't help but creep across her face as Neomi took in Rufus's features without the masquerade mask. He was rather handsome, not exactly the larger more masculine type she liked but attractive in his own slender, elegant kind of way. He had a perfect, never been broken, ivory nose. It cast a shadow across lips that were perfectly fitted to his diamond shaped jawline. He had the air of an educated aristocrat.

Neomi? She had the air of a foster kid punk with a taste for Green Day.

"Kind of like fate had you tell me that. Right?" Neomi cocked up her auburn brow before standing up. A challenging look crossed her face as she braced her arms against the heavy, wooden dining table. "First one to the bathroom gets dibs!"

Rufus was confused until Neomi leaped clean across the dining table. Her bare feet slammed against the floor right when he started chasing after her. "You don't remember the layout of my house like I do!" Rufus called out.

"But, you don't have a sidekick like I do, either!" Neomi hollered out. "Bacon Interference!"

A sharp squeal cried out through the room, and Rufus's head whipped around to the hog. Steam was oozing from her open jaws, and the pig had already doubled up in size. Rufus's eyes were the size of the moon when the hog headbutted him flat in the gut. The Memory Make Mage was a squirming heap pinioned to the wall by the time Neomi slammed the door behind her.

Even with the door shut, she could hear Rufus snapping in the direction of the hog.

* * *

"Are they late, or are they late?" Sting huffed. His foot was slapping the concrete at ninety to nothing, and his face had been masked over by a look of impatience.

Sting along with Yukino, Orga, and Rogue were waiting side by side with the Exceeds. While Rufus and Neomi were nowhere to be seen, the gang had been waiting for at least half an hour for them to meet up by the courthouse.

"There are other missions I could be doing that would actually get me paid instead of this," he grumbled.

Elbowing him in the side, Rogue scolded, "You offered to help. Remember when you put your dirty shoes on Rufus's table and yelled, 'Hell, yeah! Neomi, we'll help you find your friends!' You sounded like some kind of cartoon character trying to cheer up a crying kid." Red eyes narrowed on blue ones.

Sting didn't look the half bit bothered. He jerked his chin up to state, "Yeah, well, she looked upset, and I can't deal with girls when they cry."

"You can't deal with girls at any time," Rogue scoffed, giving a pointed glance in Yukino's oblivious direction.

She was barely paying them any attention. The white haired mage was far too busy looking to Orga. She'd been collecting information on Neomi ever since the God Slayer had joined the group in front of the courthouse.

From what little bit Rogue and Sting had overheard, Neomi really was from a world where they were nothing more than comic book characters. She apparently knew more of them than she'd been introduced to, and knew the names of most of the guilds even though she didn't live here.

It was ominous as hell for someone to know so much information and claim to know the future, but if what she was saying was right, she knew who was going to win the Grand Magic Games. Even though Sting knew it would be recycled information to ask her who was going to win the Grand Magic Games, he still wanted to ask. He would bet even more money on Sabertooth when she told him that they were going to win the games.

Heh. Heh. Yeah, he'd be so rich!

But, he couldn't ask her about the future if she wasn't here! Looking towards the angle of the sun, Sting could already tell they were getting close to the deadline to leave. If the two of them didn't hurry it up, they would miss the train or wind up on an even later one.

Just when his jaws were about to open and spit out another complaint, he caught a flash of auburn out of the corner of his eyes.

Neomi had her had latched onto Rufus's wrist, and the mage was scrambling after her. His hand held tight to the brim of his hat. He looked to be barely keeping up with her as she charged towards the courthouse.

In a mere matter of seconds, they came to a screeching stop. Hands flew to bare knees as Neomi tried to catch her breath. "We—made—it!" Even the little pig that had been chasing them snorted for excess oxygen.

"Took long enough," Orga snickered. A sly grin crept across his face. "Why'd the two of you take so long? Did you finally settle on one of your fan girls, Rufus?"

Holding up a finger, Rufus panted, "Don't—even—start—it!" He leaned back and turned towards Neomi. "You could have killed us!"

"Well, I wasn't the one taking so long to fix his hair!" she barked back. "It's not my fault that horse and buggy was headed straight for us. A freaking horse and buggy! Who the hell operates those in this day and age?" She straightened her own back and brushed what looked to be dirt from her face.

Rufus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, of course. You _forget _that you're not in your world anymore."

"Yes, Mr. Great and Mighty King of Memory, I'm having problems remembering that people actually drive horse and buggies in freaking magical wonderland Fiore. Mashima only had one scene with a horse and buggy that I can remember, and it was in the Lucy Heartfilia flashback!" she countered then flipped a lock of hair out of her face. "Anyway! Can we please get going! Unlike _some _people I can't waste time looking fabulous. Earth realm humans to collect, and a reality to get back to!"

Neomi put her hand on Rufus's wrist then grabbed Orga as well. She was marching while Orga snickered and Rufus huffed. Little Bacon was snorting with exertion as she tried to keep up with her ninety to nothing leader.

Sting shot Rogue a pointed glance. Flipping his thumb in Neomi's direction, he whispered, "I think they finally found the missing link in their team."

Rogue said nothing. With a grin playing on the corners of his mouth, he followed the bull dragging Rufus and Orga behind her.

* * *

I couldn't help but smile as I watched my secret play out before me. It was hard to believe that I was ever that happy or carefree. Before I'd learned to use magic and right when I was training to become a Guardian, I had actually been a rather fun person. I went on tons of adventures with my team. I played with my pet, and I had friends.

Leaning my head back, I stared at the only sliver of light that came into this dank, dark place. That light shined directly on my face in the morning hours, and it forced me to remember better times. Bittersweet. Thinking of better times when everyday you merely counted down the seconds before your own funeral was merely a kind of sprinkle to be put on a shit situation.

With a smirk on my face, I watched the man reenter my cell.

In the darkness your other senses consume you. I couldn't see the man per say, but I knew he was coming. The sharp squeal of rusted hinges on heavy doors said he was coming. Then, there was the staccato rhythm of the soles of his feet slapping against the rocky surface I stood on each day. Normally, the sounds of constantly dripping water would _drip drip drop_ against the rocks near me. When he came, he broke up the monotonous tone. His body dipped beneath the dripping water, and he broke the sound up just enough for me to know that he was right in front of me.

My eyelids slowly moved upwards, and I looked forward. The glinting of his glasses against the sunlight slithering slowly through the crack in the stones kept me from seeing his face, but I didn't need to see that right now.

My thoughts were consumed by the splitting pain of his ring laced fingers slapping against my skin. "You think you can keep sending us on pointless quests and not suffer the consequences!" he barked, spittle splattering across skin paled by the darkness around me.

Shrugging, I looked to where he surely was standing. "Running around is good for the body. Keeps it healthy," I responded, waiting for the crack of his hand once more. Strangely, I never got it. The man had a predilection for slamming my head against the rocks projecting behind me or slapping my skin until it went numb. Strangely though, he didn't do either thing.

"You say shit like that to tempt me. Do you really think I'll kill you before I get what I want?" he snarled. Rank breath permeated the air and slipped inside of my nostrils.

"Hmm. Garlic with just a hint of paprika," I commented just to see if he'd revert to usual hostilities. He didn't, and the hair on the back of my neck rose up. He either knew something or was trying a new technique.

But, he couldn't know anything. I'd been careful. I'd even selected the exact spots where I wanted my secret to fall. It was safely guarded and ignorant. I even dropped a few extra packages after I'd opened the portal to send my secret home. He couldn't have known anything about it.

When his voice cracked from a new direction in the darkness, my head whipped around so fast my neck protested. Ignoring the pain from a new, self-inflicted, injury, I listened in. "You thought you were being cunning by dropping several of them at the same time, but I'm cunning as well. I always figured the manifestation of your abilities would look like you, but that would be too easy. We know the first one wasn't your manifestation. There are three others, though, they won't be difficult to collect." His feet hit the rocks until he was back in front of her. Grabbing my face with a tight grip, he jerked my body closer. "One of them just happens to be calling for another. A two in one special if I do say so myself."

Chills ran down my spine, but I never let them show. Flashing my teeth in my personal display of intimidation, I started whistling one more time. While I used dark soundtracks to signal black magic, I decided to change it up. Right now was the time for white magic. With a grin on my face, I leaned away. My skin still throbbed where his hands had clamped my face, but I paid it no mind. I just kept on whistling.


	9. Interview

**So, I hope all of the doc got uploaded on here. I'm typing with one hand and eating ice cream with the other. Making capital letters is very difficult right now.**

**Oh, oh, oh! And, for those of you who might be wondering what the first person point of view character looks like, I have her up on Deviant Art . Com My name on there is the same name as on here. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I can botch a link to it on here... But, if you do look it up, I warn you SPOILER ALERT for this story.**

** adamineterra. deviantart (insert the dot com here) /art/ Neomi-Rift-554686911**

* * *

Interview

"So this is what BFE looks like," Neomi commented as the group made their way off the train and back on foot. Though they had started out at a rather prestigious looking train station, the one they were dropped off at was anything but.

To be honest calling it a train station was likely an overstatement. It was more along the lines of a simple wooden shack. Traffic was divided by painted signs that said enter and exit, and the signs themselves were rotten.

Raising an eyebrow, Yukino asked, "What does BFE mean?"

"Bum fuck Egypt. Code for Middle of Nowhere," Neomi replied. She touched a wooden railing only to jerk her hand back when it crumbled to the dirt. In its place rusted nails jutted out. They looked hellbent on giving her tetanus. When Bacon ventured too close, Neomi threw her leg out to cut the hog off before she could get hurt.

Orga put his heavy hand on Neomi's shoulder and pushed the mage forward. "So, you're sure that this is the right place?" he asked, analyzing the station with the same careful gaze as Neomi had given it.

"Yup!" Yukino pronounced cheerfully. She stopped by the ticket counter and waved at a particularly greasy looking guy. At just the sight of the pretty girl, the man put down his book and waved at her. Well, they were apparently familiar. "You see, this place was hit real bad a year back by an earthquake. Even though most of the main town has been rebuilt, they're still having difficulty getting everything put together. That's why Sorcerer Weekly moved out here. They donate twenty percent of their earnings to the town and their workers have created shelters for townspeople that lost everything. They're also the reason that the railway stretched out to this town."

Well, didn't that make Neomi feel bad. She ran a hand through her auburn locks before picking up her nosy boar. The pig grunted at the sudden uprooting but settled nicely in her arms. Even as she checked out of the rundown station, she made sure Bacon didn't nose into any of the other broken items. The porch had rotten planks and a few holes in it. She didn't want Bacon to fall through any holes.

Running her hands through the boar's short fur, Neomi looked at her surroundings. While the forest Orga and Rufus had taken her to had been otherworldly, this one was normal. Big evergreens hung out with pine trees, and a couple of oaks rested next to a small stream. In the dusky light butterflies danced and a strange looking squirrel creature leaped from branch to branch.

Hopefully, Neomi wouldn't be rescuing any other stray animals with anger issues here. She didn't come to this universe to create the next Noah's Arc. At least, she hoped that wasn't her destiny.

Neomi had to shake her head at that. Years of being called the Chosen One by a drunken Rylan discussing her adopted status rang through her head. The Voodooist in Training had always murmured odd things to Neomi when she was drunk.

Neomi would get poked in the forehead by drunken Rylan. "Ya know, Ne-Ne, sometimes, I really wonder if you ain't some kinda ghost." And, there was the typical one. "Some days, I swear, you're just gonna up and vanish on me." Ha! If only Ry knew how true that was when she said it. Neither Rylan nor Neomi had ever suspected they'd fall Alice in Wonderland style into Fairy Tail.

Trying not to dwell too hard on the fact that she was nowhere close to figuring out how to get back home from this place, Neomi turned towards Yukino. "So, how far do we have to travel on foot?"

They'd already eaten lunch on the train, complimentary thanks to Rufus's good ticket timing. The group had wound up riding first class in booth seats complete with a table. Lunch had come in the form of soup and sliders. Sting and Rogue also helped Neomi figure out how to operate chopsticks. As soon as the two learned she didn't know how to use them, they'd promptly hidden all the silverware and forced her to fumble until she turned into a well oiled machine.

Were it not for the simple fact of being in an alternate universe, Neomi probably would have enjoyed the situation. And, it wasn't like she was being ungrateful! No, of course not. It was honestly more along the lines of… she was starting to wish she didn't have to go back.

Orga and Rufus were kind enough to take her in, the latter of the two making sure she took her medication. Yukino, Sting, and Rogue hadn't even tried to be distant. The three had thrown themselves upon her with suggestions on how to get Marina and Rylan back, and they'd been the ones to volunteer themselves to finding the other girls.

There weren't many people who would do that, even fewer ones who would miss out on skipping dinner just to get four strangers reunited.

Yukino drew Neomi from her wandering thoughts by saying, "We're actually almost there now. Once we top this hill, we'll be able to see the station antenna." A finger got pointed, and Neomi followed Yukino's guidance. "See! There's the top of it right now."

With her heart leaping in her chest, Neomi blinked in the direction of the antenna. It really was there. If it was there and Neomi was here… That meant Rylan or Marina was over this hill! She was barely able to contain herself as she let Bacon leap back to the ground.

Forgetting everyone else completely, Neomi charged to the top of the hill. Her eyes wanted to water when she saw the town Yukino had referenced. It really was there! This wasn't some kind of mirage or joke. The town was down there, and likely, one of her girl friends was as well.

Up ahead was a small town surrounded by rubble. People were busily maneuvering through the destruction even though Yukino said it was hit a year ago. Heavy machinery operated in the rubble and what appeared to be a construction crew was guiding lacrima operated vehicles.

Away from the rubble, Neomi could see the rebuilt town. Scaffolding had been hastily put up to create taller buildings, and people were moving through the streets in horse and buggy or on foot. While the new buildings were obviously made for quick housing, it was the one permanent building Neomi was staring at.

It was a building that looked like blocks stacked on blocks. One large rectangle made up the base, and another rectangle was cantilevered to create a balcony over the main entrance. Two more blocks made up a kind of lookout tower before the antenna stuck out like some kind of funky hat.

"Can we just go in?" Neomi asked, whipping her head around so hard she nearly put a crick in her neck.

Orga pointed at the base of Neomi's throat where her guildmark shone like a beacon. "That should get you in. Right, Yukino?"

"Yeah. Jason's normally on the first floor, and—"

Yukino's voice turned into nothing but a blur. Neomi had already charged down the hill towards the station. Bacon was hot on her heels until the hog's little legs tripped. She rolled head over hoof until Lector grew Exceed wings to catch the boar.

When a rock projected before Neomi could lay eyes on it, she caught the tip of her own foot on it. Her hands shot out to catch her, but her shadow turned white. In a fashion identical to the black creatures, the white light wrapped around her. She tumbled deep into its light before finding herself at the front door to the station.

Blinking, Neomi shifted in her spot. How did? Who did? What?

She turned around to gawk at her shadow only to find it black. Neomi barely had time to get over her sudden teleportation when someone from the second floor window howled, "Cool!"

Well, she knew who that was, and he started with J and ended in A-S-O-N. Neomi nervously glanced back towards Yukino and the others. They were still gaping at her sudden teleportation, and judging by the distance between the entrance to the front door, she had to have gone at least a mile via white light mobile.

Without them to get her away from Jason's clutches, Neomi tried to back up a step. It didn't work. The reporter was already in front of her, clipboard in hand. "Cool!" he proclaimed, "A new Sabertooth mage! What's your name?"

"Uh… Neomi," she mumbled, nervously glancing back to the rest of the Saber Team. They were running, but they weren't getting here half as fast as Neomi had. How did she even do that?

"What kind of mage are you? I've never seen Teleportation Magic like that before! Not even Doranbolt can teleport like you can and that white light! So cool!"

"I actually don't know what kind of magic I use to be honest. Er…" She looked around Jason to see if she could peer inside of the station. There was music playing. Neomi could faintly hear the song _Stacey's Mom_ playing from within the station. Rylan must have been working the radios. If she could get around Jason and into there, she could sneak around until she found Rylan.

"Cool! A mystery! We have to interview you!" he proclaimed. "Follow me! We have a show going on right now! I was going to set up an interview with one of the returning group from Fairy Tail, but I couldn't find someone who wasn't on a mission!" Before Neomi could protest, he had snatched her up by the wrist.

Jerking her eyes towards a gawking group of Sabers, Neomi tried to wave them over. She had barely gotten her hand raised up before the front door closed behind her. "Er, I-uh-Jason," she scrambled as he hauled her up a set of stairs.

He had a headset attached to his ear and was furiously shouting 'Cool' into the piece while running Neomi up the stairs. "Yeah! I picked up someone who can give us an interview." He paused. "No, I don't know what kind of magic she has. She doesn't either. She's a part of Sabertooth though." Pause. "Yeah, it's gonna be so cool! You've never interviewed a Saber before!"

Jason heaved her up to the final stairs, and while Neomi was nearly breathless from running up the stairs, Jason wasn't missing a single step. He spun her dizzily around by the shoulders then pointed down the hall. "It's three doors down and on the right. I'm gonna get you guys some snacks! Cool, right?"

"Yeah, cool," Neomi breathlessly commented before Jason disappeared in a cloud of dust. Her body felt like it was whirling from the rush up here, the rush from his words, and the rush from teleporting. She felt like a major case of vertigo had slammed her. Judging by the dizziness in her skull right now, it wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon either.

Bracing one hand against the wall Jason had propped her up on, Neomi overheard the Saber group discussing Jason's abduction to someone downstairs. She didn't feel like waiting on them. This was her chance to catch one of her friends, and she wouldn't let it pass her by.

With a hard shake to clear her head, Neomi forced her legs to move. Kelsey wouldn't spook her away from meeting up with Ry. Neomi and Rylan had known each other for most of their lives. They did everything together and might as well have been connected at the hip. Rylan wouldn't turn her back on Neomi. Besides, Rylan had always told Neomi she was different, destined for bigger and greater things. Rylan had to still trust Neomi.

Releasing a pent up breath, Neomi straightened her back. She took a couple of seconds to adjust her dress and make sure her hair wasn't a total mess before she started walking.

It was so odd to think that she was nervous, but she was. Kelsey's comments of being a bitch and a traitor were burning hot inside of her head, and when she put her hand on the door handle, Neomi had the fleeting idea of running off.

"Yeah, like that'll work. Jason will probably find me and send me right back here," she grumbled to herself. Biting down on her bottom lip, Neomi listened to the door unlatch itself. She pulled it back, and popped open one eye.

What she saw nearly got her jaw to unhinge. Rylan! Rylan was there! And, she'd barely changed at all. Instead of the cute fro that had been her current hairstyle, Rylan had reverted back to dreadlocks. The locks were tucked underneath a floppy beanie in the colors of the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica: green, yellow, and black. Beads and shells ran down on the longest strands running down either side of her face.

"Good evening, Fiore! DJ Black Magic reporting in from the beautiful Coralroot City. Today, the weather looks like slightly cloudy with a hundred percent chance of good vibes. We'll have a special guest speaker coming in from Sabertooth at around five thirty, but before we get the down low on the Saber Cats, I'm going to set the mood as chill to the sound of Glass Animals's song _Gooey_," Rylan announced into a bewinged microphone. She pressed down on a button, and the mic drifted down to her lap. As soon as it settled down on her, she kicked the desk to go spinning around and around in her desk chair. Dreadlocks went flying as she spun. Neomi thought the girl was going to get spin drunk until she gasped, "YOU!"

Shooting her finger in Neomi's direction, Rylan stumbled clean from her chair. The rolling desk chair went sailing forgotten behind her, and Rylan slammed her forehead into the desk. Her head whipped up. "I'm fine!" she called out. "I'm fine!"

"I'm more worried about you seeing a psychiatrist than a physician," Neomi snickered as she got on one knee to check out her best friend. Her forehead had a big splotch on it, but since there weren't any brain spewing out, she assumed Ry was alright. There was no doubting it when Rylan tackled her to the floor.

Words in Haitian Creole were hissed over the top of Neomi's head as Rylan probably summoned all of her personal Lwa, guardian spirits, to the reunion. Reverting back to English, Rylan snapped, "Where the hell have you been? I've been blasting all of our music over the radios for months now since Jason found me!"

"Months!" Neomi screeched, rearing back to gape at her best friend. "How the hell was it months? I've only been here for, maybe, a week!"

Rylan didn't release Neomi. Merely peeking up from the nest she'd made of Neomi's shoulder, she calmly explained, "My Lwa told me that time travels differently through the dimensions. You wouldn't believe what else they've told me about this place."

In the Voodoo culture, people relied on their Lwa for spiritual guidance. Rylan was no different. Thanks to her parents being Haitian and her grandmother being a practitioner of the religion, Rylan was often found contacting her spirits and letting them flow through her. Neomi had always assumed she had magic. Was that her magic now?

Rylan saved her from asking the question. Pulling away from Neomi but not getting up from the tile floor, Ry asked, "So, Jason said you don't know what kind of magic you use?"

"Er-yeah. I have no clue." Neomi straightened on her arms and crossed her legs the same way Rylan was doing. The position was so familiar to her that it made her eyes want to moisten. Months. She'd been without them for months, and she hadn't even known.

Trying not to cry like some over dramatic pre-teen, Neomi checked her friend over. In this world Rylan didn't look too different. The eyes that used to be a deep chocolate were redder. The new red of her eyes, and that third eye she'd been given by the desk were fighting for prominence on her warm ebony skin. All of that crimson glow was cradled by a mane of twisted dreadlocks that had been released from her beanie. From dark lips trimmed in dark pink to her flawless skin, Rylan looked like Rylan. She wasn't hard for Neomi to spot in a crowd.

Full lips pressed together, and Rylan nodded her head towards Neomi. "Yeah, my Lwa have nothing either, but not all of them are coming through. Papa Legba isn't keen on letting me chat with everyone at one time. You wouldn't believe how much easier it is to channel them in this world. When Jason found me, I'd been possessed by the Petra Lwa and was ransacking a nearby town. After the possession left, I passed out only to wake up here in Coralroot," she explained.

Grinning, Neomi commented, "You're awfully cheery for someone who's been in another dimension for months. You aren't… You aren't mad at me?"

"Hell to the nah! You wouldn't believe all the people I've interviewed, and the money I've made while working for _Sorcerer Weekly_. I got to visit Fairy Tail for an interview with Makarov and Mirajane about the disappearance. Then, I went to Blue Pegasus, and this chick got laid right after the interview was over."

Jaw dropping, Neomi leaned in closer. "No! Who? Gimme dish!"

"Aw. You wouldn't know him. Some background character, but he was H with a capital hot! They even tried to get me to join their guild, but of course, I denied. My set up with Jason was too convenient for trying to locate all of you. I kept visiting guilds in hopes of eventually finding one of you. I was trying to get ahold of Sabertooth this month, but Jason wanted to see the growth from the returned Fairy Tail crew," she explained with an upbeat smile on her face. Given the cheer of her tone, and the grins on her face, Rylan definitely wasn't upset about anything. What a relief. Still, did that mean…

"Have you found Marina then?" Neomi blurted out without thinking the question through.

Even though Rylan kept up her optimistic attitude, she shook her head. "No. I was thinking she would have been found by a guild or would have posted a job to locate us by now, but I haven't heard a thing. You're the first I've found. I haven't even heard anything from Loudmouth Kelsey, which is a surprise."

Frowning, Neomi wondered whether it would be a good thing or a bad one to explain to Rylan about Kelsey's abrupt change in personality. But, if Ry was right, and they had been gone for months before Neomi popped out of the portal then Kelsey would have had enough time for her mind to break. Then again, Neomi had no clue just what kind of situation Kelsey had been in. If it was bad enough, she could have snapped in less than a day.

Then, there was that mother comment. Who did Kelsey meet in her torment that she thought was Neomi's mother? Had she seen someone, or had she heard someone that sounded like her? What made Kelsey automatically assume that the person was Neomi's mother?

If Rylan's Lwa had been helping her with information, then maybe the spirits would know something about Kelsey if they met her?

Opening her mouth to say something else, Neomi was cut off by Jason entering the room. He had the rest of the Saber group behind him. As soon as he saw Neomi and Ry sitting crosslegged on the floor, he shouted, "Cool! You're already figuring out what should be said for the interview! You and the new girl are on in five. Then, I want pictures done."

Rylan snatched Neomi up by the forearm at the same time that she stood her chair back up. With the rush of Jason fleeing the room with the rest of the Sabertooth team, Neomi had to question just what kind of five they were talking about. "Five in five minutes?" she wondered when Rylan sat Neomi down in a chair.

"Nope. Five as in five seconds," Rylan explained. She pressed a button on two winged mics, and they floated right up to each woman's mouth. "And, Welcome back, Fiore! Did you miss me? Of course you did! Tonight we have a special guest speaker from the guild of Sabertooth, and let me tell you all one thing, this lady is hot stuff. Hair like fire and lips like candy. The Trimen of Blue Pegasus would be on this freckle faced ginger in two halves of a heartbeat. But, since you all don't get the priviledge of seeing this cutie until her shots are out in the next issue of Sorcerer Weekly, I'll give you a sneak peek by letting the sound of her voice serenade you through the microphone," Rylan started out with the same gusto she used when they were in their communications class. No wonder they always made A's on their presentations. Rylan was entertaining.

Giving Neomi a wink, Rylan spun around in her chair to ask, "So, Miss New Saber, could you give the listeners at home or on the road the sound of your name? I need to give them something to cheer when they see you at the upcoming Grand Magic Games."

"Neomi. Neomi Sumer."

"You heard it, Fiore. The beauty's name is Neomi Sumer. Now, Neomi there are a certain few questions that the people of Fiore sent in for me to test out on _Sorcerer Weekly's_ next victim. First up, could you tell me just what kind of magic you use, and how do you think your magic can benefit Sabertooth in the upcoming games?"

Grinning at Rylan, Neomi spoke into the mic. "Well, my magic isn't named, but it has two colors: black and white. It gives me the ability to teleport, and I'm also able to create attacks by moving my shadow separate from my body. As for the Games, I'm not so sure that I'll be participating. The show will probably get stolen from me by Minerva, Sting, Rogue, and Orga. But, I'm already planning on betting at least 10,000 jewel on Fairy Tail's dragon slayer Laxus if he goes up against our Orga."

Twin brows rose up as Rylan digested that information for herself. She had no clue what Neomi's magic would be. Judging by that expression, she hadn't expected the shadow things. Neither had Neomi. For her to be able to summon little demons from her shadow and teleport in shafts of light hadn't exactly been what Neomi had in mind either. But, that was the hand she'd been dealt.

Not missing a beat, Rylan went back to the next part of their interview. "A magic that manipulates both darkness and light. Let's hope that Rogue and Sting don't think of your magic as a free buffet. But, being surrounded by so many cute hunks, you must have developed a crush on someone, and if not one of the guys in Sabertooth, then maybe someone else in this crazy world of ours?"

Ah! Rylan, that bitch! She was digging! She'd told Neomi about her sexual escapades and wanted to know Neomi's. Well, she was in for a boring conversation. All Neomi had done since coming here was freak out, get her ass beat by a former best friend, and run around in circles without learning anything about herself or the supposed mother that was the voice in her head.

Cocking a grin, Neomi grabbed the desk she was next to and spun herself in her chair. "Well, I wouldn't say a crush, but Sting is cute. I haven't really been able to get to know him, so I can't say that I've formed any kind of attachment to him. The two guys that got me into the guild were Orga and Rufus. Crush-wise with them? Not sure. Orga is a pain in the ass, and Rufus doesn't allow pets in his apartment. As for guys not in the guild, Natsu is attractive, but too young for my tastes. Even with that seven year disappearance, he hasn't seemed to have matured too much. Gray would be number two on my attractive scale for Fairy Tail, but number one is Laxus. He's far too much of a Moody Judy, so that knocks him down a couple of points."

"So, there's not a single guy you'd want to date?"

"Like I said before, Black Magic, I don't know any of them well, and none of them are so spectacular that I'd fall head over heels."

"Well, are there any particular ships you have?"

"That one's easy. Gajevy, Nalu, Everman, Biszack, Stino, and Kagurogue," Neomi replied, wondering just how that one would go down when Jason put that in the magazine. Now that she was beginning to think of the Fairy Tail Universe characters as actual people, it was kind of strange to be shipping them. She felt kind of like those weird pre-teens that made fanfiction about celebrities. Internally, Neomi shivered.

Rylan tried not to snicker into the microphone before she went into another round of questions. Neomi felt like she was being interrogated by the time the hour long interview was finished. Between the commercial and music breaks, she thought she would die. Thankfully, Jason came in every now and again with snacks. Neomi's growling gut could not be contained.

Rylan's long, slender fingers flipped off the last of the switches until she was just on her mic. "Alright, Fiore, it's been a pleasure as always. I'll meet you again next weekend for the latest scoop on the guilds. Don't forget to buy your guild paraphernalia. The Grand Magic Games are in three more weeks, and I've already bought a giant foam finger to represent Mermaid Heel. Just for your information, _Sorcerer Weekly _will have a stand up, and we'll be kidnapping guild members that aren't partaking in the competitions. Come on down, and get a picture with me! Goodnight, Fiore!"

Pushing down on her mic, Rylan shut the rest of the technology down before grabbing Neomi's hand. "Where are we going?"

"Hell if I know. I usually go to the first floor gym. Did you know this place has slides that go from one place to the other? Also, they serve beer in the lounge! We can get a cold one then chit chat before your modeling shoot. I'm sure Jason is making sure he gets a whole section on Sabertooth since there's so many of them here right now." Rylan didn't look back to see if Neomi had an opinion on the sudden decision. She just marched right on out into the hallway then led Neomi towards a bright orange slide. Snatching Neomi, she pushed the girl down the slide before going down right behind her.

Neomi rolled down a full floor on her belly before crash landing into a pile of bean bags. In a matter of seconds, Rylan rolled over the top of her. The two of them were a rolling heap of laughter and girlish giggling until someone's voice caught their attention.

"I'm sorry, but you can't come into the radio station without authorization from Jason or Rylan," the downstairs attendant explained as he held off two guys and a woman from entering the building.

Rylan and Neomi shared a look before they crawled on their knees towards the glass wall that showed off the lounge/entryway.

"Listen. We don't want any trouble. We just came to pick up Neomi. How about you step aside, and let us in?" the woman explained, trying to take a step forward.

Looking at Neomi, Rylan whispered, "Those guys talk like Pokemon's bad guys."

"No kidding. Have you ever seen them before?"

"Nope, but Markus should be able to handle a few thugs. He may look like a scrawny dork, but he can kick major ass."

"Really?" Neomi wondered. "He looks like picking up a stapler would burn over a hundred calories. Where did you find a guy that pale and dorky looking anyway?"

"Tech geek. He was working here before me."

Neomi didn't say another word. Instead, she focused intently on the activities downstairs. Pale, scrawny Markus was handling himself with confidence. When the woman tried to step by him again, using her garters and sultry voice as a distraction, he merely adjusted his glasses. They did the classic anime glare even in this realm!

"Sorry, but you don't even have a lanyard pass. I can't let you inside the station," Markus proclaimed, using his body as a blockade.

One of the guys behind the leading woman put his hand on her shoulder. "Told you we should have just broke in," he sighed. Addressing his magic, he commanded, "Chameleon Skin." His hand pressed against the glass door, and the guy blended fully with his surroundings. He was nowhere to be seen as Markus got slammed in the gut by an unseen force.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Neomi hissed. She was too late. Rylan's flip flops smacked against the railing, and she made her downwards descent towards the group below. "How the hell are you supposed to fight evil in _flip flops_?" Neom screeched even though she was following Rylan's lead.

The mere knowledge of knowing that she had power was enough to make her brave. Where in the normal world Neomi would have shied away from a break-in to let the police handle it, now she could do something, and she wouldn't get in trouble for doing it. Even so, at least Neomi was wearing practical ass kicking footwear.

Rylan kicked her leg out, and her flip flop slammed one of the three intruders dead square in the face. "And, _that _is how you fight evil in flip flops," Ry snickered before sticking her tongue out. "Hey, big ugly, didn't your momma ever tell you that three on one is gangbanging?"

"Why you little—" Before the visible male could charge Rylan, the woman placed her hand flat on his broad chest.

"He wants them in perfect condition, Merin," the woman warned. "Let me handle this."

"Bring it, bitch! If your brains are half the size of your tits, I might be scared," Rylan taunted, doing her best to get her opponent riled up and loose minded. That was always her strategy. Whether on the court or in a brawl, Rylan taunted. She wanted to get her opponent so heated up that he or she wouldn't be able to function properly when Strategist Ry came in for the kill. It was why she was so good at sports. Most of those girls were hot headed anyway. Rylan? Well, she was as cool as a cucumber.

Gritted teeth were a side effect of Rylan's taunting. Neomi would have loved to sit and listen to her friend's taunts, but she had her own problems to deal with. The guy that Rylan had smacked with her shoe was on the move. Already, Neomi could see him prowling through the lobby like a panther on the hunt.

With a deep gulp of saliva, Neomi braced her body. She could do this. She could fight, and she could win. Besides, hadn't all she'd been doing so far was merely surviving? Sure, she'd gotten a break by landing in the arms of burly Orga and helpful Rufus, but they hadn't saved her every time. She could save herself. Then, she could save Marina, Kelsey, and Rylan. Neomi would survive until she got all of them home safe and sound.


	10. Hello and Goodbye

***sighs* Yeah, I'm sorry that this little scratch of a chapter took so long. I've been writing on my novel Of War and Stone and trying to remodel a Christian Academy for my architecture class. Thanks to university, my brain hasn't been in a very writing kind of mood. Everything I put out doesn't feel right. When I get my flow back, you'll know. I'll be spitting out chapters like machine gun bullets.**

* * *

Hello and Goodbye

In the lobby of the radio station, Neomi could hear Rylan's music still playing. The playlist she'd set before they'd ran in on the three intruders was pumping the song _Concrete Walls _by Fever Ray, and that ominous, slithering rhythm encompassed Neomi as she stared towards the one named Merin.

He was big. Dressed in black from head to toe, he was the personification of the biker subculture. Black leather jacket, black leather boots, black leather pants, and chain on them, too. When Markus took the Invisible Trespasser and Rylan called the woman, Neomi was left with Biker Boy Merin.

That chain clipped to his hip was unhooked. He spun it around and around in the air as Neomi stared him down. It was a pair of deep cerulean narrowed on chocolate brown. Suddenly, without warning Merin hollered, "Silver Lynx!"

Gasping, Neomi flung her arms up in front of her as the silver chain came straight for her. The chain grew and twisted. It fully contorted into the shape of a lynx, but when it barrelled towards her, white light flung up from Neomi's body. While Neomi could control the black shadows, the white was unruly.

It unfurled from her body like the wings of an otherworldly being. With a mind of its own, the white light created a massive X in front of her. Trying not to get caught up in the moment, Neomi twisted her body. Similar to the Black Light, this White Light reacted to her movement.

"Learning this as I go," she grunted, feet sliding back as the chain lynx attacked her X shaped shield. Just as she would thrust her arms out to attack, the white light broke. Claws of the chain created lynx shredded her way, and Neomi felt barbs attached to each link dig deep within her skin.

Blood was drawn. It sprayed out from the hasty rush of broken flesh. Baring her teeth, Neomi winced from the sudden assault, but she had no time to lick her wounds. When Rylan's opponent squawked, "What the hell, Merin! What part of 'perfect condition' do you not understand?"

Pulling back on his chain, Merin harped, "What do you want, Iris? Perfect condition or captive?" With his attention focused on the other woman, Neomi charged forward. She tried to summon her magic, but it just wasn't working.

The white light was flowing around her. It was concentrated in her palms. It swirled around her feet, but it wasn't doing anything. What did she need? A command like what Natsu did for his magic? A key for this new magic like Lucy needed when she got a new spirit?

She didn't have time to figure it out. When her feet couldn't get her away to concentrate her energy, Merin stopped her in her tracks. His chain link lynx slammed its claws against the tile floor. His hands were in constant motion, and the chain making up the creature never stopped writhing.

Each flip of his wrist and each jerk of his palm got the creature to prowl nearer to her. It wasn't long before Neomi found herself backed up in a corner. "No, no, no," she hissed to herself, eyes jerking for a way out. She couldn't find one.

Rylan was caught in the action with the woman named Iris, and Markus was entertaining the Invisible Man. His body jerked and flailed from blows unseen, and Rylan's body changed color as she summoned her Lwa to the battle. It was just Neomi and the chain bearer. Or, at least it felt that way until an ominous tune broke through the speakers.

Jerking her eyes up, Neomi caught sight of the speakers that lined the front lobby. One, two, three, four, she counted as she backed up against the wall. Five, six, seven, and eight, she finished when her back was forced flush by her stalking predator.

The speakers were low. If she could get turned around, she might be able to scamper up the wall and grab onto one. She just needed to get far enough away to summon the Black Magic instead of the White Magic. Teeth found the inside of her cheek, and Neomi looked around her.

The lynx was still writhing. The chain body that made it move crept close. Were the creature alive, she was sure she could feel its hot breath pressing against her skin. Why couldn't she use her magic?

It was right there. She saw it beneath her feet. She saw it swirling in the palms of her hands. Why couldn't she utilize it?

"Alright, girl. If you'll just stay right there for me to catch you, I won't have to lay another hand on that pretty, little body of yours. Got it?" the biker male snickered as he stepped even closer.

Neomi was hardly paying attention to him. At just the right corner of her eye, she was watching Rylan. Even with the creepy whistling tune from Kill Bill playing from the overhead speakers, Rylan was kicking ass.

"Petro Lwa!" Rylan proclaimed as she leaped into the air. At just the command of her magic, her entire form flashed crimson. Ivory body paint covered her from head to toe in a skeletal format, and her hair was twisted into multiple, braided dreads. A new weapon in the form of a whip was wrapped on her hip, and she hastily withdrew it. "Wrath of Arara!"

With the sharp crack of the whip, Rylan drew her weapon downwards. The force of her descent combined with the slashing motion of her arm doubled its speed. Lashing her whip's length against Iris, both Neomi and Rylan shared a quick glance. Black eyes bored holes into blue, and when Rylan had her whip wrapped around a flabbergasted Iris, Rylan sent the woman on a tornado spiral into the stalking chain lynx.

Her body launched hard. Her uncovered skin was slashed open by the many thorns decorating each link on the chain, and Neomi praised Mavis it wasn't her. She couldn't spend enough time revelling. A red hand painted with skeletal fingertips snatched her up.

"They're coming for us?" Rylan barked out, question and skepticism in her tone.

"We _are _the aliens," Neomi commented, head jerking up when Markus's body slammed against a wall. He hit so hard that the electronics changed the song. Or, it at least felt that way. One second the Kill Bill Theme was blaring through the speakers, and the next the English version of _Labyrinth _by Oomph! was playing.

Something was in the circuitry. Could it be another enemy?

When chains wrapped all around their bodies, Neomi and Rylan jerked their eyes towards Merin. He had combined forces with Iris. Her hand shot out towards them, but neither Neomi nor Rylan could figure out what her attack was.

Everything looked perfectly normal. Rylan and Neomi were standing in the middle of the lobby. Merin and Iris looked to be running towards—

An unseen force wrapped around both of the young women. Barbs like those on the chains dug into their skin. "She uses mirages!" Rylan gasped out.

Crimson liquid was flowing from her throat, and her voice was strained. Neomi wasn't faring much better. Her legs and arms were ripped open. It wasn't deeply enough to cause major injury, but it was just enough to make movement unbearable. The barbs were like the barb on a stingray's tail. It was a smooth glide into the skin, but tore up everything when it had to be removed.

"You were a little more difficult to capture than I thought you would be," a new voice intoned. Rylan and Neomi jerked their eyes towards where Markus was floating. He was held up by an invisible hand, but inch by inch the body of the enemy was revealed as he released his invisibility spell.

"Why would you even want us?" Rylan snarled, the chains digging into her throat not stopping her attitude. Her skin was still red and painted like a stylized skeleton. She looked more threatening than they did when she curled white painted lips.

Stepping into the conversation, Iris explained, "It doesn't matter. We were hired to get you, so we did."

"Hoo! We are so gonna get promoted for this!" Merin called. The jerking of his body tightened the chains on the girls, and when blood oozed out, Iris and the Invisible Man scowled. "Heh. Sorry, guys."

"Whatever. Just put them in the transport."

Iris went to take a step, but as soon as she did, the heel on her pumps broke. A sharp curse hissed through her lips at the same time that Jason's voice questioned, "What's with all the racket? There'd better not be something cool going on and me not know about it." The blonde haired reporter turned a corner with the Saber Team right behind him. "Rylan's magic activated! Cool!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Orga's deep voice boomed. He took one look at Neomi and Rylan wrapped up in chains then threw his big hands down on the railing. He propelled himself off the railing and onto the lobby floor. His body was on a one way track towards Merin until the mage tightened his chains.

"Ah-ah, take one more step, and someone loses a leg," Merin threatened. He let his wrist twitch, and his chains tightened around Neomi's left thigh. His eyes gave a warning glare towards Rogue sneaking in the shadows and Sting standing frozen on top of the railing.

Scowling, Rufus crossed his arms against his chest. "I don't remember you being here before. What do you want?"

"The girls," Iris explained. She took a step forward to face the sudden intruders. "You leave us, and we won't have to make a racket."

"If you want the girls, then your threat is an empty one. The mark on your body suggests a dark guild. No?" When the team of three narrowed their eyes in contempt, Rufus added, "The Writhing Snake guild is a guild that specializes in bounties and kidnappings. You're mantra is to preserve the hostage before handing it over. Did I remember wrong?"

Teeth gritted, and Iris took a slow step back. The movement might have been a tense one had her heel not been broken. She completely stutter stepped and fell flat on her ass. "We're outnumbered," she hissed, yanking her eyes towards the Invisibility Mage.

"And, outclassed. Sabertooth has won every GMG since they started," he replied back to her. Dropping Markus to the floor, he let his body fade completely from sight. "We need to regroup," he voice called out from the automatic double doors.

"Of course." Iris's body faded out as she created a mirage for herself and Merin.

His voice groaned, "What the hell, and we could have made it, too."

The chains holding Neomi and Rylan disappeared. As soon as they did, Rylan turned on her heel. She was about to go running off after them until Neomi grabbed the back of her tank top. Rylan's body went forward then jerked backwards when she slammed her butt flat to the floor. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"We have more important matters to deal with. Like, Marina."

"Ugh. Fine!"

* * *

"So, you're not coming with us?" Neomi asked as she stood outside of the radio station. She and Rylan had been catching up. Neomi had explained the situation with Kelsey, and Rylan had spoken up about her situation at the station.

While Neomi had been nonstop since coming to Earthland, Rylan had taken it all in stride. She had a job that paid well and gave her room and board in return for her services at the station. She took part in big charity dealings and got to interview all kinds of guild members. Her networking had been the reason Neomi had found her in the first place.

Rylan tossed Neomi a sad smile. "No can do, Omi. I've got paperwork to do, and I want to get magazines out with those punks' faces in them. Markus has cameras set up in the lobby, and Jason took pics while we were chatting with them. Besides, getting this info out could let Marina know I'm working with the Weekly. Our address is on the back of every magazine, so I'm not too hard to find. I think it'll be best for me to network from here."

Neomi could have guessed as much. Rylan had always wanted to be a reporter. Her major was in communications before she got sucked into the manga. She'd landed her dream job while inside of a dream world. It was a magical thing.

"Do you think there's a way to sneak some contact information into the spreads of me and the rest of the team into the magazine without making it too obvious? I don't want anyone calling me for stupid pranks."

"We'll figure something out. Between Jason, Markus, and me there's nothing we can't do."

Neomi cracked a grin at that. Rylan was right. When that girl put her mind to it, she could do anything. Rylan's Gram had always said she was as stubborn as an old goat.

"Well, I guess that's that then."

"Yup." Without warning Rylan wrapped her arms around Neomi. The little boar in the mystery mage's arms squealed before settling back down. "Be careful out there. My spirits are telling me that something's not right about any of this."

* * *

**If anyone has some inspiration for the next chapters or those coming up later on in the story, I would greatly appreciate the comments. Thank you all for reading. Your words of encouragement help me so much.**


	11. Freedom and Memory

**Ah, at last, a well sized chapter. Yeah, I have to apologize about the length of the one before this. That was just sad. Oh, well. I've been given some time between projects, so until this next one kicks up in class, I'll have room to write.**

**There will be mistakes, I'm sure. Glitter Spires has no clue that I finished this chapter today, so she hasn't read over it for errors. Heh. Heh. Heh. I'm sure she'll find something when she finds out it's finished. *Don't hit me!***

* * *

Freedom and Memory

My eyes popped open in the darkness of the dungeon. Vaguely, I could hear sounds. Walking? Was I about to get another visitor? I listened closer. No, I wasn't about to get a visitor. The sound wasn't that of footsteps. At least, it didn't sound like footsteps. Narrowing my eyes, I tried to listen harder. It wasn't like narrowing my eyes was going to give me anything but a wrinkled forehead, but for some reason it was my first reaction when I was trying to focus on something.

Adjusting, I heard the chains over my head rattle. It wasn't like being quiet was something that mattered. I'd been down here for a thousand forevers, but there was something different this time. I could tell it.

I tried to move, but moving is a little bit harder than you'd think when your body was undernourished and dehydrated. My muscles had been deteriorating from a lack of use, and I was skinnier than usual. "What I wouldn't give for a steak," I growled out, forcing my weakened body to move.

There was a loud crashing sound, and my entire body jerked back as if possessed. Smoke filled the air, and a body slammed down next to me. "Serves you right, Thunder Cunt," I growled out, adding a kick to the already groaning gatekeeper. His answer was a sharp hiss of pain, but I was barely able to relish the first act of revenge I'd been able to get since being trapped down here.

"Meredy, quit playing with them. We have to figure out what they've been keeping down here," a male voice barked out, and my eyes widened. I knew that voice. It was the voice of my—

"I'm not playing, Jellal. He was still moving," another familiar voice stated.

A lump formed in my throat when the smoke cleared. I could see silhouettes as it faded out, but the silhouettes were so familiar. I remembered them so vividly. They were the silhouettes of my past. Silhouettes of people that wouldn't know me until several years into the future.

Moisture threatened to run down my face, but I held the liquid back. These people didn't know me. They wouldn't know me until a more distant future. I couldn't get emotional over people who had yet to meet me. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I reopened my swollen eyes.

Only moments ago, I had taken another beating. The leader was pissed that he didn't know where I was keeping my secret. Even though he knew I would never give him the whereabouts of my secret, he still beat me. I was a way for him to get out his frustrations, and I'm sure that a part of him just got off on seeing me bleed.

Thankfully, by the looks of things, I was getting out of here. Good. The time was coming. I needed to find my hidden treasure soon. No true pirate should be too far from her buried treasure, and it was time to collect mine.

In the nearness I heard footsteps. The sounds that had originally woken me up had been the bomb blasts of Jellal and Meredy. Now, I really was hearing footsteps. I really was about to get a new visitor.

Letting out a sigh, I relaxed as much as possible in my chains. Thanks to how long I'd been hanging from them, they held me up better than my own legs. I would likely need assistance to get out of here. That is… if they were actually here to rescue me.

"What the hell?" Jellal breathed as he finally came to the bottom of the stairs. He was walking down the aisle lined with victims long since dead, victims leftover from his search for me.

That foolish man had been looking for me in so many different forms. He'd searched for all kinds of magic to find one like mine. People who could control time, people who could control other realms. No one was safe. Any spiritual type of mage had been hunted down while he'd searched for me. Then, finally, he'd found me, but he hadn't found the me he'd wanted. Knowing that I was the prey in this hunt, I had long ago split that sacred thing he wanted from me. It was safe, but I was not. I endured the pain to keep him away from the ultimate tool.

Shifting my gaze, I could see Ultear, Meredy, and Jellal stepping down the aisle. How many had they taken out, and was the leader gone? I know that he'd left, claiming the need to get something done, but I had no clue how long he would be gone. Hopefully, the leader of this dark cult of Zeref worshippers wasn't back yet. He could spell trouble for Jellal and the others.

It wasn't like I was much help at the moment. Damage to my throat kept loud screeches from being anything more than gurgled gasps for air. I could talk only if I was quiet, using a whispering voice that still sounded like a frog that'd been sucking on helium. If someone popped up behind Jellal and the others, I wouldn't be able to sound a warning.

By the looks of things, I was going to be saved from having to do that. While Jellal was off gazing into the cells on the other side of me, I locked eyes with Ultear. Her dark eyes locked onto mine. When I tried to open my mouth to speak, she immediately grabbed Jellal by his cloak. "One's still alive!" she gasped out in this place filled with death and decay.

I had no time to even be concerned about my state of undress. The lack of food I was given each day and shrunk my form in a more shriveled and skeletal appearance. I had yet to look like I was dying, but I was giving anorexia a run for its money.

Summoning a sword of her manifested magic, Meredy slashed open the cell door. She and Ultear hastily dashed in towards me. "Can you stand?" Ultear asked. I was thankful. She hadn't asked the obvious question of, "Are you okay".

Without opening my mouth, I just shook my head. When Ultear turned to Meredy, it looked like the girl was already on it. A pink marking appeared on my wrist, and I couldn't help but crack a grin. Sensory Link. It made so much sense.

"Here. Cover her body with this. We don't have much time, and all the other cells are empty. Let's get her out of here before any more show up," Jellal explained. His cloak fell upon my body, and I smiled while taking in his scent. Sure enough, he smelt the same: pine needles and sandalwood.

"If we get separated, my Sensory Link should help you escape," Meredy explained. She put on hand behind my back, jerking her hands when she could feel my spine against her hands. "How long have you been down here?" she murmured while she and Ultear handed me over to Jellal.

"Too long," my voice cracked. I turned my eyes up towards Jellal. His eyes were more brown than I remembered. Age must have darkened them by the first time I'd met him. They looked more light even in this dark, dank dungeon. They looked like there was still hope. Not letting myself get caught up in what was my past and his future, I forced my ruined voice to explain, "The leader will be back soon. We have to get out of here now."

"Understood," Jellal replied. He tucked my body close to his chest, and already I felt at ease. Jellal was a good person and a great man. Funny how the closest male in my life would also be the one to rescue me. It was almost cliché.

Closing my eyes, I felt each footstep he took. We were moving fast, but we were neither loud nor obvious. This group of three was well trained in the way they moved. When we finally made our way back up the stairs and into a hallway that I hadn't seen in years, I could have sworn I heard yelling further down the hall.

My hand wrapped around Jellal's shirt, and I tugged for his attention. "More coming," I croaked.

"Do you know where from?"

My brows furrowed. What the hell kind of question was that? I hadn't seen the inside of this hallway in years. Instead of smarting off to my savior, I just tightened my eyes. Something was pulling on me, and it was the sound of yelling from down the hall. My secret was waking up. I only had so much time.

With my eyes still closed, I concentrated. Even though I hadn't been here in a long time, I remembered there were five different paths. This underground dungeon was set up like a rabbit hole. There were multiple exits and entries.

Vaguely, I could hear the footsteps. They were marching down the hall in a hustled pace. Likely, they had seen the path of destruction Jellal and his team were making. They were probably following unconscious bodies to hunt down the intruders. Now, if I could just remember one of the exits.

Gritting my teeth, I tried to remember. The feet were coming closer, but my senses were also confusing the sound of Meredy, Jellal, and Ultear's footsteps with that of the others. It was hard to decipher each pair of feet from the others. "Take a left down this hall," I blurted out when the footsteps came far too close.

My guess was on track. The marching was growing distant, but that didn't mean they hadn't split forces. "There's two different—"

* * *

"Wake. Up. Neomi!" a voice called out from over the top of Neomi. Her eyes squinted until something flattened against her nose and mouth. Her breath left her, and she tore up from the bed like a vengeful demon.

Grabbing Sting around the throat, Neomi snapped, "What the hell are you trying to do? Kill me?" Her hands shook him forward and backward.

"No! But, you're trying to kill me," Sting gasped out. His hands found their way to Neomi's wrists, and he pried his throat free from her death grip. Sucking in oxygen, Sting caught the breath Neomi had strangled out of him.

Neomi just let her hands drop while she checked out her surroundings. Nothing was too out of place. She was in Rufus's bedroom again. That was as normal as normal was becoming for her right now but… Why was Sting in Rufus's apartment?

"What the hell are you even doing in here right now?" Neomi barked, glaring at the blonde haired dragon slayer sitting on the side of the bed. As a matter of fact, who had let Sting in the apartment in the first place? They didn't have a job. Rufus had promised to take Neomi to some libraries and archives today.

"I got bored because Rogue is doing stuff, and Yukino is researching Celestial stuff. So, I snuck in the window. Entertain us," Sting pouted. He stretched out on the bed, and Lector hopped on his stomach. Hey, that wasn't fair! Rufus would let Lector in his bedroom, but he wouldn't let Bacon in here.

Glaring at Sting, Neomi threw her legs out of the bed. "No," she stated sharply. Neomi stepped towards the door to peek her head out. Rufus was still asleep. Or, it at least looked that way. His blonde hair spilled over the arm of the couch, and she could see his spiky lashes laying flush against his pale skin.

He looked like some kind of resting prince laid out on the bed. She needed to ruin that image. It was too perfect. For now though, Neomi had a different agenda. With a low whistle, Neomi woke Bacon up from the small pet bed next to the grandfather clock. All she had to was snap her fingers, and the hog was already shifting.

Steam poured from the hog's jaws while her tusks elongated. Neomi let Bacon stalk right past her and entered the living room. From the back of her head, she could hear Sting and Lector.

"Good piggy."

"Nice piggy."

Bacon let loose a snort/snarl.

"Anything but the face!" they screeched in unison. Bacon ran her hoof against the floors before charging. Her tusks looped under the clothing of Lector and Sting before tossing them out the window. Neomi could hear their squeals in the distance as they tumbled from the third floor.

Cracking a grin, Neomi went straight to the fridge. A quick glance at the grandfather clock said that it was still early morning. As a matter of fact, dawn was just now breaking. How come everyone already had plans when the day was just starting?

Even Rufus, who Neomi suspected was an early bird, was still asleep. Oh, well.

Opening up the fridge, Neomi surveyed the contents until a voice broke into her trail of thought. "Don't worry with it. You keep cooking for us, and we'll get spoiled," Rufus commented. His head popped up from the other side of the couch, and Neomi turned to catch his mouth in a wide yawn. "How about I take you out? There's a nice cafe that I frequent on my days off. We can eat breakfast in there then go to the library."

A warmth spread across Neomi's skin. That was quite the gentlemanly offer, even for someone with an ego the size of Rufus's. Straightening her back, Neomi shrugged her shoulders. "Fine by me. Let me go hop in the shower first then."

That shower would also give her some time to think about that weird dream she'd had.

Rufus gave her a tired nod then let his head rest back against the arm of the couch. It really was a shame that she'd taken his bed. If she was going to stay here for much longer, she should look into getting a place of her own like Rylan had. Perhaps, she could look into that while they were in town today.

Walking down the short hallway that led to both Rufus's bedroom and the bathroom, Neomi took a quick turn to the right. Rufus's apartment had a rather simple layout. The front door opened up to the kitchen, and immediately after the kitchen came the living room. His couch acted like a kind of partition between the kitchen and the living area. If one walked past the living room and straight ahead, they would walk out onto a narrow balcony, but if one took a left, they would enter the small space Neomi had just turned from.

Her hand wrapped around the lever of the bathroom door, and she could have sighed when she entered her favorite room in the whole building. To call Rufus's bathroom just a bathroom was likely an understatement. It was designed more like a spa. Granite countertops were on the top of mahogany counters. Dead center in the bathroom was a short stage. It held up the centerpiece in the bathroom, a massive stone soaking tub with more jets and heating options than needed. On the wall behind the tub was his large shower. It, too, had more sprayer jets. The jets came straight down in a line. They made a waterfall effect. The color of the water could be changed with the press of a small button on the heating and cooling panel tucked neatly into the wall. Oh, and did Neomi forget to mention the stereo system? Well, yeah. Rufus had a stereo system hooked into the shower and jacuzzi.

She couldn't get her clothes off fast enough as she turned the water on in the shower. She'd yet to have time for the soaking tub, but if she stayed here long enough, it was next on her list. Before her clothes could hit the stone, tile floor in Rufus's luxury bathroom, Neomi tossed the articles into a four foot tall wicker basket he used for laundry. A wood slatted door kept both his laundry units and walk in closet closed off from the rest of the house. Rufus had told her to put her laundry with his and he'd get to it, but Neomi hadn't felt so sure about some strange guy handling her sexy lingerie.

Neomi was a woman through and through. She loved strings and lace and silk. The pajamas she'd been sleeping in while at Rufus's house had been some tiny shorts and a silky tank, all trimmed with black lace. The outfit was wholly girly even though it was blue instead of a more feminine color.

It was also due for a wash. Sighing, Neomi just flung her night clothing in the same basket as she'd tossed her other clothes. Surely, Rufus wouldn't get creepy with her underclothes. He likely had a maid or something slip in and out unseen. It wasn't like Neomi had seen anyone cleaning dishes or folding laundry since she'd been here.

Reaching her hand into the water spray, Neomi tested it for the perfect temperature. Thanks to presets that could be typed into the shower panel, Neomi's personal, perfect temp was already on. She happily stepped into the shower and let her hair be rinsed backwards by the waterfall effect.

Between the warmth of the shower and the way the water danced against her bare skin, Neomi could let her mind wander. So far, things had been going well. She knew the location of Rylan and Kelsey. Kelsey was under Minerva's guardianship, and Rylan had a job with Sorcerer Weekly. Marina was nowhere to be found, but with Rylan's connections in communications, she would be found.

With the girls in rather safe places, Neomi could focus on two things. One was getting herself back the real world, and two was understanding the strange dreams she'd been having.

It was like Astral Projection when she dreamed, but instead of being in the same place as her body, Neomi woke up in a dank dungeon. Never had she been through a dream as realistic as the ones here lately. Everything was filtered under a sense of hyper awareness.

She could feel hunger in her gut. She could feel dehydration in her throat. The smell of death and graveyard dirt filled the air around her, and every movement her chained body had made was felt directly in Neomi's mind.

Neomi ran shampoo through her hair as the gentle yet sultry sounds of Chet Faker's version of No Diggity played from the shower speakers. The soothing sound helped her mind to wander back to that place, that dream, and Neomi could feel her mind wandering back to that sleepy realm Sting had woken her from.

The water running down her wrists turned back to manacles, and the scent of camomile infused honey turned to dried blood. Despite the cell where rats scampered and butterflies drank the blood of decaying victims, Neomi's dream self had no fear. There hadn't been any sense of terror when a snake had slithered from the rusted chains overhead and down her arm. Neomi's dream self had been calm. Her face had been stoic, no sneer and no smile.

When an explosion had sounded off and a body landed at her feet, she didn't jump from fear but from an instinctive reaction, a need to survive injury. Then, the fragile boned captive had done something unsuspected. She'd reared her frail leg back and laid it into the body of an injured gatekeeper.

The man had groaned against her assault, but Neomi's dream self hadn't spared him an ounce of sympathy. Her eyes were on the silhouettes entering the dungeon. Neomi knew those characters. They were Crime Sorciere.

But, her dream self knew them.

What did it mean? Was it all a step for Neomi to decode?

Shaking her head, Neomi let shampoo rinse from her long locks. She needed Rylan to help her decipher all this strangeness. No, not Rylan. Rylan understood Black Magic and Voodoo. Neomi needed Marina. Marina was well versed in the Astral Plane. The little latina often discussed her dream journal and the ways she could turn a simple dream into a lucid dream.

With a sigh, Neomi finished rinsing off her body. Everything was tuning out to be just another step for her. There was a little less than three more weeks until the Grand Magic Games. To be honest with all the destruction those dragons from the past would create, Neomi wanted her troupe out of here before they could get hurt. So long as they stayed out of Crocus they would be safe. Rylan and Marina would know about the dragons, so they would know how to avoid them. Kelsey wouldn't, but Neomi doubted any help from her would help the former ditzy blonde right now. Kelsey wouldn't listen to her.

Grabbing a towel from a nearby rack, Neomi turned towards the mirror. It was fully coated in steam from her shower, but she didn't dirty the mirror by making a spot with her hand. Instead, Neomi stepped from the bathroom and into Rufus's walk-in closet.

The man had more clothes than she did, but he'd been gracious enough to give her a side of the closet to herself. She withdrew a pair of patterned skinny jeans then a flowy top. Not wanting to waste Rufus's time, she towel dried her hair as best she could before tossing it into a messy bun on her head. A pair of beige, wedge heels got zipped up with a golden zipper before she bopped her way out of the closet.

Bacon immediately greeted her when Neomi reappeared in the living room. "Has anyone even fed you yet?" she wondered to the little hog. She didn't get much of a reaction, the hog buried her face in Neomi's shoulder. It was the sight of a full pet food bowl that answered her. "Guess so," she muttered.

But, she didn't see Rufus anywhere. His long blonde hair was hard to miss when you were a girl used to short haired guys on a college campus. With the long hair trend finally coming back, Rufus would have fit right in with the older students on campus. She wondered just how the people of Fairy Tail would act if they were ever sent to the real world. They would probably freak out. Neomi knew all the dragon slayers would be screwed if they retained their motion sickness. The world revolved around transportation. Animals weren't that big a method anymore.

Walking over towards the living room, Neomi took a seat on the couch. Rufus was nowhere to be seen. He'd taken his pillows and blankets and had already gotten them folded and put up. Neomi didn't see them anywhere as she stroked Bacon's coarse fur.

She sat there wondering just where that mage could have gotten off to when the front door opened up. Rufus looked his usual self, but he wasn't wearing his usual attire. Without his wide brimmed hat on his head, his long, blonde hair flowed downwards before being tied back with a leather band. He still had his masquerade mask on and his cravat was neatly fixed at the focal point between his collar bones, but the rest of him was different. From shoulder to a downwards slashing cut below his hips bones, a red doublet served as the statement piece beneath a long sleeve, white blouse. beige canions hugged his thighs before they bled into a pair of white trunk hose. Finally, Rufus looked to have ditched his black boots for new leather low shoes. It was all very renaissance.

"Well, I hope you took the time to shower," Neomi snickered, fully knowing Rufus would have had no time between her shower and Rufus's disappearance. Even so, when he stepped around her, he smelt of sandalwood and earth. Rufus's skin had just the lightest hint of fresh greenery after a midsummer rain, clean and masculine.

"I remembered that there are public bathing rooms in the apartment commons by the pool. Since you were using up all the hot water, I assumed that would have been the better option. Now, then. Shall we be off?" In the most gentlemanly way possible, Rufus extended his arm out to her.

Cracking a grin, Neomi accepted her offering. To her in was kind of a wonder how Orga and Rufus got along well enough to go on missions with one another. Orga seemed more brutish, a little bit of the silent type, but was an otherworldly goof when the time hit right. Rufus was more along the lines of an old fashioned poet. He had always struck Neomi as the kind of guy who could recite Shakespeare right off the top of his head. From the various bits of old literature Neomi had found in his nightstand, on his coffee table, and in his bookshelf, she guessed she was right. Even as she made that mental note, her mind was more interested in something else entirely.

"You have a pool here?"

"Hn? Oh, yes. I remember that I never showed it to you. I'll take you by there then," he mentioned after locking the door to his rooms. His arm was still wrapped around Neomi's, and he walked her down a set of curved stairs.

Rufus's apartment was vaguely reminiscent of the condos Neomi had stayed in when she went on vacations with her friends. The exit to his unit was on an elevated platform that overlooked the town Sabertooth resided in. He had views of several shops and what appeared to be a town square. The placement for his apartment was perfect for anyone with interests in fine dining and couture. With the design of this section of the town, it was apparent this was a more upper middle class area to live in. So, Neomi wondered just how a guild mage afforded such luxury.

Guilds weren't exactly noted for their elegance. As a matter of fact, the beginning of Fairy Tail had explained that many people thought of guild mages as they did eccentrics and town drunks. Rufus didn't seem to fit the drunk bill, and he didn't act too eccentric. He seemed to overly romanticize things and had a touch more elegance than the average guild goon. So, either he was a better mage than what she assumed, or he had a past that Neomi knew little about.

Mashima didn't go too in depth on all of his characters. Lucy Heartfilia had a rather sad princess kind of story. Natsu was a wildling raised by dragons instead of wolves. Gray's family died by a demon's hands, and that same demon took his adoptive mother. His life was mentally destructive rather than physically in the beginning. The only one who actually seemed like her life was the overly difficult was Erza. That whole Tower of Heaven business had been some freaky junk mentally and physically. Neomi wasn't surprised Erza was so powerful. It was a shell for her to hide in.

Aside from them, there really wasn't much background. Rufus and the rest of the Sabertooth crew were blank canvases minus two mages having lived with dragons. Neomi knew more about Fairy Tail than she did the guild she was actually being assisted by.

Even so, it wasn't like she was complaining. Rufus and Orga were a great help to her. Neomi knew where two out of three girls were, and it hadn't been any time to find them. If she could collect Marina and find out how to get home, all would be well, but would any of them want to go back?

So far, it didn't look like there were any repercussions to living here. Their bodies weren't fading away, and their health was near perfect. The biggest dangers were death by magic and other nonsense that went on in a world like this one. Neomi hadn't had to worry about leaving the house late at night without a buddy because she always had someone with her. The people around her were always around her. Having once been a complete introvert, Neomi figured that should have been getting on her nerves, but it wasn't.

Surely, that was just because the new, shiny feeling had yet to fade away from this place. Neomi was learning something new every day, so the shiny was going to hold on until something drastic happened. Eventually, Neomi was positive she was want to lose the excitement and go back to boring. Boring was safe-ish.

Yeah, there was the fact that Memphis was rated in the top ten for violent crimes, but at least, they were violent crimes and not sexual crimes. Right? That was a plus somewhere. There were tons of projects within the city to clean out crime, and all new construction was designed towards washing away the reputation of her city. With enough money and time, violent acts could be fixed.

There was also the most base conclusion that crimes in Fairy Tail were different from crimes in the real world. People couldn't just blame guns as the criminal. They had to come to the realization that the magic inside of people was the criminal. A mass shooting was less frightening when compared to a rampaging Dragon Slayer.

Rufus forced her mind off the potential casualty rate of citizens by proclaiming, "And, this is our oasis. The water has an almost unnatural sparkle when the sunlight angles directly against is transparent surface. Does it not?"

"Are you asking, or are you telling?" Neomi snickered. Her cerulean eyes watched as the water licked the border of its concrete hold. The pool lining was decorated in waves of emerald and topaz before slipping down to a hard, concrete bottom. Flora was dotted to add to that oasis ideal Rufus had mentioned. While the climate wasn't exactly perfect for palm trees due to the elevation, a couple could be spotted in wide spanning planters to shade lounge chairs.

People activated the space. As Rufus and Neomi walked with their arms still linked, their eyes looked over younger children swimming. They splashed water in each other's faces, and a couple kids leaped out of the pool to shoot at each other with water guns. An elderly couple was lounging. The man was asleep, but his wife was sipping lemonade. Their fingers were crossed at just the bend of their pinkies. The warm air must have been getting to everyone because even at eight in the morning people were bustling around the townhouses.

"You live in a pretty sweet place," Neomi commented when they got out of the apartment and onto the main road.

Smiling at her, Rufus continued to lead them down the streets. "It's not half bad. Some of the people living in the apartments are older, so I get my bills sliced in half by helping people with Dementia and Alzheimer's." When Neomi cast him a look, he laughed, "Come on. You must remember that I'm a Memory Make Mage. It's the perfect side job for me, and it lets me live in such a well designed place. Rent is expensive in the heart of the town."

"Well, I guess, but does that mean you live in an independent living facility then?"

"In a way, yes. I was having a hard time finding a place to live when I first joined Sabertooth. When I learned that one of the best facilities lost one of the nurses living on site, I approached them with the idea that my magic could help out. After speaking with some of the people on site, they took a liking to me. Some family members would give me descriptions of old and young relatives, and I could put those descriptions into images with my magic. I play mind games with the older gentlemen and ladies to keep their memories sharp. Now, I live in the apartment/suite the former nurse stayed in."

Well, _whodathunkit_, Neomi wondered to herself. While it did make sense for Rufus to use his magic in a more sensible kind of way, Neomi just didn't imagine Sabertooth mages being so kind. This was before the Grand Magic Games. Weren't they supposed to be overly arrogant and rude? Rufus didn't seem so at all. Neither did Orga once Neomi got to know him. So, why all the hate towards Fairy Tail?

"Come on, Neomi. We're here," Rufus commented, getting Neomi to lift her head from the stone sidewalk they were travelling down. His arm slipped from hers when he opened the cafe door for her. Well, she was hungry. Maybe, she'd get a chance to ask him about that when they started eating.

* * *

**Oh! Does anyone have any clue who that first person POV is? I want to hear your theories. Toss 'em at me! Hit me with your best shot, and I'll tell you if you're on the ball or not. It's obvious to me, but hopefully, I managed to remain rather mysterious so far.**


	12. The Games

**Oh, where. Oh, where has my inspiration gone? Ugh. *sighs* My get up and write just hasn't been feeling like getting up or writing. On the bright side, my novel is coming along nicely. I was stuck on it, but now, it's hitting a right nice stride. There's always something romantic about your main character being kidnapped by lunatics and turning them into her bitches.**

**Any who, enjoy this. Thank you all for reading. I greatly appreciate it. :) If you have any ideas for how the story should go or how it's going at the moment, feel free to give me info. Seriously, I've got a skull full of crickets right now. Help Wanted!**

* * *

The Games

Food was handed off to me in the form of pre-made sandwiches. After only having eaten dungeon gruel for months, there was no way I was turning down real food. The clear wrapping of the sandwich was gradually pulled away when I put the meal to my lips.

Perhaps it was that I hadn't eaten real food in ages or maybe this sandwich really was fixed by the gods. Either way a bomb went off in my mouth as flavor exploded atop my tongue. Salt and pepper, caramelized onions, thinly sliced turkey, and ciabatta bread created a flavor nuke as my tastebuds had a major foodgasm.

Moaning against the bread, I probably made a fool out of myself as I gobbled down my sandwich. At that little reaction, more food was happily sent my way by Meredy.

We didn't speak as I feasted. As a matter of fact, at some point the others had stopped eating and were just watching me with mild fascination as I ate and ate and then ate some more. I just couldn't stop.

While the sandwiches were heaven, the water was out of this world. It was crisp, clean, and refreshing. It was a thousand times better than the junk I slurped off my arm or from small plates that collected water from holes in the dungeon's roof. These people were just going to have to deal with my guzzling until I got finished.

And it didn't take me too long to finish.

The time spent licking up dungeon water and sucking down dungeon gruel had shrunken my stomach. A hollow had been made in the once smooth spot from under my breasts and to my hips. I made those foreign starving kid commercials look like a comedy act with my frail arms and legs. Right now, magic braces attached to my legs were the only things helping my muscles grow back.

"How long were you down there?" a voice breathed, and I wiped off some of the water trickling down my chin.

"No clue. I used to dig lines in the stone with my manacles until they took the torchlight away from me. I haven't seen the sun until today." And that had taken some getting used to. My skin was pale from being trapped underground. My eyes were weak.

Everything about me was frail, pale, and pathetic. There was no way I would beat _them _to my secret if I couldn't get my strength back. They would reach it before me if I couldn't make it to the Grand Magic Games.

Thankfully, I still had three weeks, and thankfully, Jellal and his team's destruction of their HQ would distract them just enough as they found new recruits. _He _still didn't know where my treasure laid hidden, but he still had two hints. They had almost captured my secret until his goons came back beaten and bothered.

There was an amount of time I had if they did retrieve my secret before me. Magic was a volatile thing, and I was puppeteering it even from this distance. I could feel when it was being used, and the tone of my voice could control which realms I activated within myself. Often, I used music to decide which power I would bring forth. My whistling wasn't half as powerful as when I used actual song.

"Why did they have you trapped down there?" Jellal asked, causing me to upturn my head at his voice. Even after the time spent with him, seeing him at this age bewildered me. I wasn't used to the twenty year old version of Jellal. The version I knew was married and had children. One was named Rosemary and the other…

I shook my head to rid myself of that thought. "My magic and my job." Knowing they wouldn't let me leave it at that, I continued, "I'm an Enforcer. Right now, we're a small group of people that monitor Earthland's magical output and input. Only one of us is active in a specified timeline."

"Specified timeline? What does that mean?" Ultear asked.

Feigning a smile, I stated, "That's classified."

They didn't look too happy with my answer. I had been answering their questions with that comment since they'd found me. I wasn't surprised when Meredy growled, "Like your name is?"

I merely shrugged. They were obviously annoyed at my answers, but it wasn't like I could give them information willy-nilly. If I wanted to keep my job, I'd keep my trap shut about my job and my name. If I wasn't careful and said the wrong thing, I could potentially wipe myself from the universe. That was the job of an Enforcer sadly.

Our mantra was "We hold the power of the realms. Our fates lie with the fate of the universe."

In short that meant, take care of everything and speak of nothing.

Being an Enforcer was such a pain, but someone had to do it.

"So, what should we call you then? Classified?" Meredy growled.

Putting her hand up, Ultear mentioned, "We do have to call you something."

I couldn't help my smirk when a name came to mind. Trying to keep my eyes off of Jellal, I replied, "Then, call me Scarlet. It's one of a few names I went by as a kid." The others were Fernandez and Little Erza, but they didn't need to know that. They also didn't need to know anything about the guild mark on my body. That would take some explaining.

A scowl crossed Jellal's face as soon as the requested name slipped off my lips. He adjusted atop our picnic blanket and stated, "I can't call you that. There is someone already with that name."

"Lemme guess, Erza?"

"You know her?"

"She's a popular enough mage. Do I have to know her to know her name?"

That got him to settle down. He looked off in the distance before returning his eyes to mine. "You do resemble her strangely. The eyes are identical in shape and color. If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were related."

"Really?" I purred. That wasn't exactly off the mark. I just wasn't related to Erza yet. She had a few more years until we formally introduced ourselves. Once again, that was classified information.

Stretching out despite the slight pains of getting used to moving again, I relaxed against the picnic blanket. My body was like when you sat in the same position for too long, and when you finally moved, everything was stiff. Even so, I knew just staying in one position wouldn't help me get used to moving again. I stretched any time I could.

Once I was as comfortable as my stiffened body would let me be, I asked, "So, I know you aren't a formal mage guild, but do you take jobs for others?"

A collective frown was drawn across the faces of the group I was traveling with. It made sense. Crime Sorcier wasn't a true guild. Since they weren't established, they were governmentally on the same level as a dark guild. Taking jobs from patrons wasn't illegal unless it was something that went against the law. For example, if I hired them to clean my garage, the government would find no issue, but if I hired them to assassinate the king, then things would get sketchy real quick. Then again, even a legal guild with that kind of a mission went against the law. Perhaps, that wasn't the best example scenario. Oh, well. It was all I had at the moment.

When no one made a comment, I stated, "Come on. It's not like I'm going to ask you to murder anyone for me. Isn't that kind of illegal anyway?"

"And Crime Sorcier doesn't take requests like that anyway," Jellal replied, ever the leader in this troupe. "Alright, we'll hear you out."

"Good. If that's the case, then there's this thing I lost…"

* * *

Neomi wanted to groan in defeat. She and Rufus had been in the library for hours, and the only thing they'd managed to find was two pairs of sore eyes. Even a phone call to Rylan via communication lacrima had brought it a whole flock of nothing. The hours had been grueling as she and Rufus had gone through books galore. Neomi was pretty sure she didn't want to see another written word after today.

Sighing, she flung her body against the bookshelf she had holed up near with Rufus. The two of them had built a leaning tower of literacy around them. She was pretty sure another stack looked like the Eiffel Tower, and then there were a couple of books that vaguely resembled a duck's head. Maybe, she was just hallucinating that one though.

Hours had gone by, and they were no closer to figuring out either of the two things Neomi wanted to know: how to get home and what her magic was.

At the very least, Rylan was playing some good tunes. It was Rockabilly hour as Rylan played _Strut Cat Strut_ by the Stray Cats.

The music pooled around her body then slithered into her ears as she pushed a book to the farthest reaches her leg could go. She and Rufus were both defeated. Given the way he was leaned back on the bookshelf with her, she wasn't faring any better than he was.

Her mouth opened to say something, but the door to the library's archives opened up. Yukino's silhouette seemed to glow from the sharp light from the main sector of the library. "The two of you are still down here?" the Celestial Spirit Mage questioned.

"No. We died. These are just the remains," Rufus commented before tossing his green eyes at Neomi. She was smirking.

Shaking her head, Yukino stepped down the stairs. "Fine then. Maybe, Neomi will be interested in training for the Grand Magic Games. There's a little less than three weeks. We can't just slack off, you know. Besides, Sting laid himself on my desk and refused to get up until we all got together to train."

Neomi could imagine the blonde dragon slayer walking up to the desk Yukino had been sitting at when Neomi and Rufus had entered the library. Knowing Sting, he was probably still laid up on the desk. Lector was likely copying him, too.

Reaching her hand out, Neomi offered her hand to Rufus. Warmth slid over her skin as he accepted the grasp. The both of them helped each other get up as their stiff legs refused to stand.

When she was finally on solid ground, she replied, "I don't know what use I'll be since I can't control my magic very well."

"None of us could in the beginning," Yukino replied. She took Neomi's hand, and sure enough, when they passed the desk Yukino had been at, Sting was still laying there. She flicked the slayer with her slim fingers.

As soon as he caught sight of Neomi and Rufus stepping from the dark depths of the archives, his entire body shot up. "Come on, Lector. Wake up! We've gotta go kick Rogue's ass!" In a matter of seconds, Sting had scooped his Exceed up and ran off.

The laugh that Yukino let out was enough to get Neomi's tired lips to turn into a grin. That group was definitely a close one. Did Orga and Rufus tend to train together like that?

The answer came to her when she caught sight of the group gathering in a field outside of town. Sure enough, they were all there. Rufus and Neomi walked up to where Orga, Rogue, Sting, the Exceeds, and Yukino must had decided to meet up at.

"Even the Green Giant is here," Neomi commented when she took her spot beside Rufus and Orga. While Yukino and the Slayers were cool, these two were the ones she was the most comfortable with. They had been the ones to find her in the beginning. She knew them better than she knew the others.

"And, you're gonna fight me," the giant of a male explained. That grin creeping up the side of his face was all kinds of malicious when she made eye contact with him.

Patting him on the chest, Neomi stated, "That was a fun joke, Orga. Now, if you don't mind me, I'm going to go read _Sorcerer Weekly_ right under that tree." Her finger pointed to a nice, shady spot off to the left edge of the clearing. She got approximately two feet away from him before he snagged her forearm.

"Ah. Ah. We're gonna train until you can get at least one hit on me."

"Orga dear, I know that you're starved for attention, but I can't believe that you just ordered me to hit on you. In case you don't understand, that is not how you get me to date you." Flashing him a charming grin, Neomi withdrew her rolled up magazine from a leather bag she'd been carrying around. Given the flushed reaction she'd put on Orga's tan skin, she would have assumed for him to let her go.

She was wrong.

A bolt of black lightning fired right at her feet. It was almost instinctual when her hand lit up in magic to cancel out his blow. Twin blasts of light came from her body. The black magic grabbed the lightning bolt, and the white magic released it right over the top of Orga's head. He was fried with his own attack before either one of them realized what had happened.

Clucking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Neomi stated, "Heh. Heh. Looks like I win. Now, shoo. Go play with Rufus." _So I can do some research on finding Marina._ That was the only reason she wanted to read the magazine. Rylan had given out a job request. Neomi wanted to see if anyone had answered it. Rylan had promised to keep Neomi posted with entries in the magazine.

A low grumbling came from Orga's mouth, but Neomi paid it no attention. While she took her position under the tree, he snagged a snickering Rufus up. In a matter of seconds, Neomi's eyes glittered the reflections of black lightning and Memory Make Magic.

As for herself, she tucked her pinky finger underneath the cover of the magazine and went straight to reading. Even though her eyes had wanted to bleed in the library, she knew she couldn't stop looking. Sh may not have figured anything out about her magic, but Marina was another case. If she didn't hate Neomi like Kelsey currently did, she would be looking for her.

But, could Neomi really blame any of them if they decided to turn on her? There was no telling what kind of situation Neomi had put them in, and the more she watched her magic work, the more she believed it was her fault they were all trapped here.

Sighing, Neomi laid her eyes upon the magazine spreads. She wouldn't find anyone if she just sat around and moped the whole time.

* * *

Three weeks had quickly come and gone in the Sabertooth guild. Occasionally, Rufus and Orga would escort her to the guild for their trio of mages to pick up a job. While she was there, she often caught sight of Kelsey. The sorority girl turned ninja warrior was never too far behind Minerva, and the cold stares those blue eyes would give to Neomi were nothing but blood chilling.

Obviously, Kelsey was far from forgiving Neomi for what she hadn't meant to do. Even so, she just kept her chin up. Kelsey could stay as mad as she wanted. Neomi was working her hardest to get all of them back home. She just really hoped they hadn't missed any important exams. Neomi had all kinds of different scholarships she had to keep her grades up for. She'd get kicked out of the university if she couldn't pay, and she couldn't pay without those scholarships.

Her researching on her magic had hurried up as that realization had dawned on her, but as for Marina, neither Rylan nor Neomi knew a single thing. Rylan had finally figured out about Kelsey, but she understood why Neomi wasn't asking the blonde for any help. Horrible things had happened to her, but Ry and Omi had been lucky. It wasn't like either of them had chosen where they landed. If either of them could have swapped, they might have. Soft Kelsey just wasn't cut out for a hard life. She couldn't even camp without freaking out over bugs.

Now, she was a hardass who followed Minerva around like she was some goddess of redemption.

Sighing, Neomi lifted her foot up to step on the train. They were currently on their way to Crocus along with many other guilds. Some of the guild had stayed back, but the strongest members were on their way to the capital. Neomi had been glad when Jiemma hadn't picked anyone different for the games. The team was still Sting, Rufus, Rogue, Orga, Yukino, and Minerva.

_I just wonder how things will play out with the dragons thanks to us being around, _Neomi thought to herself. She settled her body between her typical teammates, and when the engine of the train let out its sharp hiss, she just hoped she'd meet Marina at the games. Marina would know to go there whether she was with a guild or not. It was the best place to meet.


	13. Attention Please

Aloha, my beloved readers. It is with great pleasure I am going to announce that the novel I've been working on to get published has finished its first draft!

Of War and Stone will hopefully (fingers and toes crossed) be on store shelves in a year or so. Ha. Ha. Ha. Yeah, that's probably pushing it but whatever. Optimism has its place in the world. Hopefully, its place lies with my book.

But why and how does that effect all of y'all? Well, I'm getting to that. Don't get your undergarments in a twist!

It effects y'all because I should be back on the fan fiction website more often. Yay! Good news! Peoples love ze good news!

Sadly, with all good things come some rather shitty ones. So... I kind of forgot where I was at in most of my chapters. I'll be rereading chunks of the story and hopefully slapping my fingers onto the keyboard in my hiatus period of novel editing.

If all's well, you'll soon see some chapters up!

Don't freak out on me though. I know the endings of all my stories already. I just have to get the hamster in my brain to start running on his wheel.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Another note! I'm in an artist/writer competition, so I'll be balancing that with my fiction on here as well.

Hmm. Yeep. I think that's all the news y'all need to here. So... SORRYNOTSORRY about not being able to post much. O_o

Imma try to get back in me jig!


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